mc

Hi all,

I have a lime, lemon and orange tree that have been in the ground for a year
and evrytime they start to get a few new growing tips (and I get really
excited) they seem to get tipped by something?!

Hence, they are still very small and quite compact - my missus reckons they
were mis-labelled at the nursery and are dwarf varieties! LOL

The ground they are on is quite hard/clay type soil, so that doesn't help,
although I did dig the hole over quite well and planted with plenty of good
compost and mulch around the base.

Any ideas on what is taking the tips off the trees and/or how I can stop it?

Cheers,
MC

jim

Harlequin bugs are notorious for attacking citrus, they **** the sap out of
new growth and it withers. Hard buggers to get rid of, you can either spray
but need to thoroughly to get them as they hide under the leaves. I do it
the tried and true way. Firstly you need goggles and rubber gloves and old
clothes or overalls and a pair of tongs, (these bugs when you threaten them
they squirt and acidic and very smelly liquid at you) have a bucket of water
handy and when you catch them drop them in it and drown them, eventually you
will get them all, do a little bit each day.

mc

Thanks Jim,

I can't see any bugs AT ALL on the trees though?! I did have some leaf miner
issues previously, but I used Len's homemade white-oil and this seemed to
get rid of them.

You don't suppose that the white oil has reacted badly with the tree and the
tips have simply fallen off???

Cheers for any further suggestions,
MC

jim

It sure sounds like Harlequin bugs, they are hard to see when young as they
are the same colour as the leaves and as they mature they change colour. You
really have to look for them carefully.

mc

OK ... I will have another look tomorrow and let you know how I get on.

Cheers,
MC

eurekaoz

I'm currently having the same problem on my naval oranges with a brown bug
that is also having fun with my peach tree (and blends in with it bloody
well too).

I usually knock them into a bucket of hot water but have found that spraying
with homemade white oil kept them off the trees for about 5 to7 days. Not
really sure why, maybe the oil and small amount of detergent in the oil mix
made the tree surface unpalatable. The mix was a bit stronger than usual.


--
Chris

Subsido ergo sum. I lurk therefore I am.

<snip>

mc

I can't see any bugs at all ... do I need to get out the magnifying glass?
My eyesight is pretty good and I can't see any bugllies on the leaves at all

Cheers,
MC

jim

"eurekaoz"
<eureka_ozNO_SPAM@bigpond.comTHANKS.ONLY.REMOVE.UP PER.CASE.LEAVE.EVERYTHING.

It's a Harlequin bug, or stink bug, be careful as it shoots out a spray that
is acidic and stinks, it's dangerous to the eyes and not too good for your
skin either, and it takes forever to get the smell off. Wear old clothes and
rubber gloves and a pair of goggles for the eyes, use a pair of tongs to
grab the buggers and drown them in a bucket of water.
http://www.ento.csiro.au/aicn/name_c/a_1994.htm

mc

Thanks Jim,

I HAVE actaually seen that bug around the garden in recent months - but
usually up the front around the passionfruit vine, not up the back by the
citrus trees. I suppose they could get around quite a bit hey?!

Although i have seen 'em in my garden, I haven't seen any around the citrus,
so should I just get any that are in the vicinity and deal with them?

Cheers,
Mick

john savage

"jim" <jimmacleish@bigpond.net.au> writes:

This is exactly how I'd describe the bronze citrus bug. Are you sure
that Harlequin bug is the correct name for the pest you are describing?
Bronze citrus bugs/beetles start off as tiny and green, as they grow they
turn orange, and in their mature winged state they are flat and about the
size of a Christmas beetle, but matt black and quite menacing-looking.
These can squirt acid when grabbed.

A grub that likes citrus tips is a black and white one which looks like a
bird turd on the leaf. I don't know what sort of butterfly it develops
into, but in the grub stage it can devour a lot of leaf in one night. You
will often find them under a leaf during the day, near a site of leaf
damage. Pick off and squash.

Aphids like the red/green tips of citrus, and can congregate there in such
numbers as to totally cover the new foliage. The OP should look closely
to see that these are not the source of the tip problem.
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)