It seems a little early for the initial apple pest update, but apparently mother nature is not going to wait for me any longer.
Pre-bloom Oil Sprays: The term "delayed-dormant oil application" usually implies applications made near green tip. Considering the variable weather early in the season, a tree can go from green tip to pink or early bloom very quickly. While oils used in tree fruit production today are highly refined resulting in a lighter weight with fewer impurities and reduced risk of phytotoxicity compared to yesteryear, reducing the rate from 2% at green tip to 1% at pink showing is recommended. This is based on the sensitivity of the flower to oil, and lack of data comparing different rates at this developmental stage. An oil application is still strongly recommended to reduce overwintering populations of European red mite (ERM) and San Jose scale (SJS). Even if post-bloom preventive insecticides are planned for mites and scales, oil will greatly reduce the overwintering population and improve the impact of later insecticide applications.
Pre-bloom Insecticide Recommendations: Chlorpyrifos was once a standard pre-bloom insecticide usually applied with oil. However, reduced efficacy against ERM and SJS has greatly reduced its value in the past 10 years or so. Plus, the availability of some highly effective scale insecticides when applied between petal fall and first cover (e.g., Esteem, Centaur, Movento) provides more effective chemical control options. The one insect that can be controlled more effectively with a pre- versus post-bloom spray is rosy apple aphid. The ideal timing of this application is the pink stage of bloom, and aphid-specific insecticide options include Assail, Sivanto, Versys, and Beleaf. While several other neonicotinoids also provide effective control (e.g., Admire and Actara), their high toxicity to bees increases risk to pollinators when applied this close to bloom.
