How to treat borers in my apricot tree?

[TassieWren]

Afternoon,

I have an incredible old fashioned Moorpark apricot in the backyard, inherited with the purchase of our house. Recently I noticed ants on the branches and, on better inspection, 'wood dust' on the trunk.

In my gardening group, it has been suggested to use ant dust and plug the areas with vaseline, but I'm not too sure. Is there an alternative that I should be seeking? I don't think the ants are the true issue, they are just opportunistic.

Borer holes in the trunk

Tree is leafing alright, but fruit is starting to fall early. Cat did not fall from tree.

Thanks in advance,

TassieWren

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @TassieWren. It's a pleasure to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about dealing with wood borer.

You've possibly got two issues going on here, the wood borer and something that is causing your fruit to drop early.

For the wood borer you might like to read through these previous posts as there is some great advice within them:

• How to kill borer beetle in lemon tree? by @Em1

• Can we save this tree from borer? by @samT1

• Tree borers by @swanny
   

One of our gardening experts, @Adam_W, recommends using a piece of wire to skewer the borers within their holes. He then suggests that a Pyrethrum spray is effective at killing any that remain. Turn the nozzle to the jet function and flood out the holes.

Regarding the fruit dropping, it could be due to excessive moisture. However, apricots produce heaps of flowers and can never cope with that amount of fruit. If you have some busy bees and many of the flowers get pollinated and set fruit, the tree will drop the excessive fruit. If you have a tonne of fruit on the tree and it otherwise appears quite healthy, then this could be the reason for seeing them drop early.

Please let me know if you have questions.

Mitchell

[TassieWren]

Thank you Mitchell.

I've purchased the Yates Pyrethrum, after discussing with the team at my local Bunnings as well. I've given the area a spray, and will attack again on the weekend.

Would you recommend removing the bark around the area, exposing the area, or should I leave the bark on the tree?

Thanks,

Tassie Wren

[Jason]

Hi @TassieWren,

Mitch will be back on the site tomorrow to assist you further. Let me tag the wonderful @Noelle to see if she could share some thoughts on whether you should remove the bark from the tree. 

Jason

[KatieC]

Hi @TassieWren,

I am pleased to read that @MitchellMc and your local Bunnings team have given some great advice already on the spray, Mitch will be back online tomorrow to assist with your second question about removing the bark around the area. Let me tag our garden experts @Noelle and @mich1972 to see if they have any advice in the meantime.

Might I mention your sweet cat is just adorable and very photogenic! Very glad they did not fall from the tree. 

Katie

[Noelle]

Hi @TassieWren 

In my opinion, the bark should be left on the tree, to protect the underlying cambium layer (growth layer). The tree has suffered a major trauma with the borers damaging tissue, so further damage should be avoided.  The bark acts like a scab, if you will, protecting the delicate tissue beneath.

As the tree heals by developing calluses over damaged areas, there may be some natural loss of bark. That's the tree's way of dealing with the issue, so best to leave nature to do its best.

[TassieWren]

Thank you all for your help on this. I will continue with the current program and will let you know how I go over the weekend.

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @TassieWren  @Noelle 

Wifes  tale

Have you ever  heard of or  tried   using a small copper nail into the tree basically the theory goes the copper taints to taste of the tree and makes it repellant to insects and borers. But this may taint fruit too.   I once inserted (per drilling it) a  strand of electrical wire into a rose main stem it seamed to clear afids but this is not proof of the concept.

AS a side note AS  a bee keeper I used to use Copper Naphthenate Wood preserve against bores painted onto raw timber bee  boxes before undercoating as  it stops hive invaders (Small hive  beetle from setting up  home and  other wood borer types)  With out being deadly to bees who are very easy to kill with pest sprays.

[Noelle]

Hi @Jewelleryrescue , @TassieWren 

A copper nail hammered into a tree might be an 'old wives' tale' but it is of long duration and there is something in it.  The copper will aid mainly in the control of fungal diseases as it is a base ingredient of established fungicides such as Bordeaux Mixture and, of course, copper oxychloride (Cuprox).

The copper doesn't taint the timber or the fruits of trees - it isn't absorbed by plant tissues as far as I am aware. In fungal control, its presence on the surfaces of bark, leaves, etc is the deterrent.

I'm not sure of its effectiveness in insect control - copper naphthenate is a wood preservative but it's the naphthine that deters insects rather than the copper (IMO). The compound copper naphthenate is non-toxic or rather the least toxic of the wood treatments available.

[TassieWren]

Afternoon @Noelle, @Jewelleryrescue, @MitchellMc, @Jason, @KatieC,

I've continued with the pyrethrin method today and while I am pleased to note that there hasn't been any fresh wood dust or evident new holes in the trunk of the tree, today when I sprayed the tree I disturbed an earwig nest. The ants are still around, but don't seem to be in as big a number as previously observed.

Keeping my fingers crossed that this is working. If not, where would you advise the best location for a copper nail? Would it be in a healthy area of the tree (in the trunk), or in an upper limb?