North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Scott Smith <scott@cs.jhu.edu>]

Donna, I would say a special predator is needed to get in the curled- 
over leaves, they are strongly and tightly curled.  We have lots of  
wasps and lots of birds, but maybe not the right kinds.  I don't  
think persimmon psylla is comparable to pear psylla there because the  
pear psylla does not curl over the leaves the way the persimmon  
psylla does.  One thing that I found interesting in your quoted  
article is it mentions a parasitic wasp which goes after pear psylla  
larvae.  Maybe there is such a wasp for persimmon psylla that has yet  
to show up in my orchard.

There is one odd fly I often see on the persimmons and I just looked  
it up -- it is a "long-legged fly":

http://www.floridagardener.com/critters/Beneficial_Insects/ 
Dolichopodidae.htm

According to this description they feed on insect larvae.  So maybe  
these guys are the knight in shining armor.  These flies are quite  
common all over my orchard and I never knew if they were good guys or  
bad guys until now.

Scott


> Scott,   Do you have many wasps around your place?  Would you consider
> hanging some birdhouses or something like birdhouses, gourds, etc,  
> in or
> around your persimmon trees?   I've been trying to think of what  
> could get
> inside the wrapped leaves, and I wonder if wasps would go for  
> them.  Wasps
> are good to have around anyway as they are carnivores.  We have a  
> lot of
> birdhouses up and some of them get used by wasps.  I like that  
> better than
> in the shed or somewhere else I might get into them.  I'll bet if  
> you made
> some birdhouses with the holes too small you'd get wasps, or hang  
> up 3 close
> within 12 feet or so of each other.   You may get a couple with  
> birds in
> them, the other with wasps.  The birds may very well figure out how  
> to get
> the psylla too.    Donna