Common Pests and Treatment Timing

So why does Legacy schedule plant health visits in specific seasons?

In short, there are critical intervention times to successfully treat trees for infestations, and these windows are specific to the pest we are working to eliminate. Here is a list of common pests and the timing needed to treat them:

Coddling moth	Overwinters as pupae in silk cocoon, emerge as adults during blooms, lays eggs on new fruit, larvae tunnel in to apples. Continuous generations. Needs two to three sprays starting as soon as fruit sets, the three week intervals. (starts June).
Pinon twig beetle/Ips beetle	Overwinters as eggs in the galleries under the bark. Hatches early in the spring. Continuous generations. Needs two sprays first in April/May second in July/Aug.
Mountain Pine Beetle	Overwinters as eggs in the galleries under the bark. Hatches and emerges in June. Fixed generations. Needs one spray in June.
Ash Bark Beetle	Overwinters as larvae under the bark. Emerge mid spring. Control immediately after leaf out. Needs one application of systemic in May/June.
Poplar Borer	2 to 3 year lifecycle. Eggs hatch into larvae which tunnel through the bark into the sapwood. Control immediately after leaf out. Needs one application of a systemic in May/June.
Locust Borer	On Black Locust only. Active late summer. Treat mid summer. Needs one application of a systemic in May/June.
Aphids on fruit trees	Overwinter as eggs near the bud. Become problematic shortly after leaf emergence. Needs one application of horticultural oil in May as the leaves emerge.
Flatheaded apple tree borer/Peach tree borer	Overwinter as larvae, emerge as adults which lay eggs in later summer. Eggs hatch late summer. Needs a high rate permethrin treatment in May.

These are just some of the pests common in the Southwest area that we treat. If you see an infestation or suspect some level of pests present in your trees, please don't hesitate to contact us for a consultation with our master arborist for a personalized look at your trees' health.

Keep in mind that these are general guidelines, and the timelines may vary depending on the weather patterns, elevation, and species.