Fruits and Plantation Crops
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Citrus bark borer
Zigzag tunnels, cuts and rough edges show on the bark with oozing gum, and branches above the damage wilt and dry.
Crops it attacks
Where the damage shows
In the stems, vines or trunk
When to act
Every month, walk around each tree and look at the trunk and main branches for fresh gum oozing from the bark and zigzag ridges under it. Act on every tree with fresh gum. One borer can girdle a branch.
Before you spray
Sprays do not reach the grubs under the bark. Cut out and burn infested branches and keep trees vigorous.
How to prevent it
- Cut off branches with wilting leaves and zigzag tunnels well below the damage, and burn them before the adults come out.
- At each fresh gum spot, open the bark with a sharp knife, kill the grub in its tunnel, and seal the wound.
- Keep trees vigorous with water in the dry season and balanced fertilizer. The beetles favor stressed, weak trees.
- Avoid wounding the trunk with tools, and clear old, dying citrus trees near the orchard that breed the beetle.
Natural enemies and biological help
- Woodpeckers, ants and small wasps take grubs and eggs on the bark. Do not spray trunks needlessly.
Not sure it is this one?
Many pests look alike. Send a photo to Anee, the smart farm technician in anee.io. She reads it with your crop, its age and the weather, and tells you what it most likely is and what to do first. In Tagalog or English.