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call_me_wizfire

Orange tree pest help w/ pics

call_me_wizfire
13 years ago

Ok, i am as we speak, at my elderly aunts house. She is settling her affairs and she wants me to start a tree from a limb i have taken off her orange tree (some kind of mini orange, variety unkown, she recalls it as bitter) that is 40+ years old, probably more. i think i will be able to grow the limb on its own roots... on that side im good.

I have never had a citrus other than lemon before. is there any fact i need to know now about them? Don't oranges have to get proper sun to develop flavor (might explain bitterness, its not a trifoliate. I couldnt find the graft, there might not even be one on it, so i don't know if it is a sucker or not.

It is a very vibrant, healtly plant, no yellow leaves, several mini oranges growing on tree (but not on my twig. All the leaves are bright green and mildly to highly fragrant, some leaves have a stronger smell than others.

It does have some kind of pest though, definatly some kind of scale, its white and flakes off very easily. Appearnce of dead skin cells.

Help requested: general pest help and identification

can someone attempt discern what kind it is?

pictures of leaves and scale

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thankyou in advance, even if you cant help, thanks for the time, and my aunt thanks you too, she says

Andrew

Comments (10)

  • call_me_wizfire
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    sorry, i didnt add all the info i thought i did. It also had the trademark sticky sappy coating on leaves.
    New info: when i got home, i picked off some heavily infested (to the point that whilr they were developing, they got scale sucked, and came out severely deformed)I also thoroughly washed it when i got home. I washed all the dead-skin cell things(eggs?), sticky honeydew stuff, and i searched for scale bugs, but i could not find any.

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    13 years ago

    I'm hoping that one of our experts will chime in...

    I daren't hazard a guess ;)


    Josh

  • call_me_wizfire
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    hmm... i know nothing about citrus pests. and i cant seem to find this information online either...if i could, i woulds just drop it, but i do need help please.... my internet is all messed up now, this is my 4th try to write this (crashes)

  • Andrew Scott
    13 years ago

    Hello Andrew,

    Andrew here(Awesome name!) and I do know of a great website that may be able to help you. If you go to Four Winds website, they have link that helps ID citrus pests. What makes it so great is that they have awesome close up pics and they might just have pics of your bugs. I ID a form of scale that I had on my Oro Blanco grapefruit tree. I have sprayed at least 4 times this year and I am going to have to spray again tomorrow. What sucks for me is I have to spray all my tropicals and tropical fruit trees. Just in my bedroom alone, I have over 100 plants total. The good news is that I have been able to isolate the pests to that room. I sprayed with pure rubbing alcohol and that did the trick. Unless you use a systemic in which you won be able to eat any fruits for a year, you will only be able to manage them, you wont ever get rid of all of them. I had people here tell me this beofre and I didn't believe it but I do now!!

    Next fall right before you bring in your plant, spray them all a few times with fish emulsion and you may be able to avoid the problem all together.

    Andrew

  • call_me_wizfire
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Hello Andrew,
    Its Andrew (awesome name as well) thankyou, i will do that right now. I would rather wash every leaf of these cuttings everyday than use a systemec...
    i have no clue where to get fish emulsion, but i do know what it is

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    13 years ago

    Hello, Andrew and Andrew! ;)

    The Fish Emulsion should be available at any hardware store or nursery.
    I even see it at places like CVS/Rite Aid pharmacy.


    Josh

  • call_me_wizfire
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    any1 have a clue what kind it is?

  • call_me_wizfire
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    ,,, silent forum

  • meyermike_1micha
    13 years ago

    Here I am ...lol

    Hi Andrew:

    I most defiantly would make a direct question to "Rhizzo" or "Jean" since they may not even be aware of this problem you are having.
    I would also look up the Pest and Disease forum since that is where they hang out, and ask the same question there. I can guarantee that you will be helped as fast as lightning since they are just two of many that are always willing to help. They are usually spot on too.

    I wish I could help, but I have never seen this type pest before and you want to make sure you treat it with the right pesticide if they are pest's.

    Do they leave a sappy or sticky residue on the leaves anywhere?
    When did you first notice them?
    What affect are they having on the leaves?
    At what temps do you grow them?
    What is the coolest you can grow them at?
    Have you tried any sprays yet?
    Are the trees small enough to wipe these things off with a cloth and water?

    Sorry for so many questions, but I like a lot of detail:-)

    Let us know, ok.

    Hope you are doing good. We can keep these thread going if you wish too. It seems everyone take a break about this time of year, but I find this forum very fulfilling when winter slows me down.

    Mike:-)

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    13 years ago

    Has your aunt ever mentioned an infestation of whitefly? These look more like whitefly nymphs than scale insects. Or perhaps scale AND whitefly. Obviously, we can't see anything on 3 of the 5 images.

    Some scale species and whiteflies all excrete that sticky honeydew

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