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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] paint to deter peach borers?

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  • From: "Stephen Sadler" <Docshiva@Docshiva.org>
  • To: "'North American Fruit Explorers'" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] paint to deter peach borers?
  • Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2008 23:42:55 -0700

Peach growers seeking to reduce pesticides can

use a variety of tactics to control this pest. Interior

white latex paint, painted or sprayed on the base

of the trunks, provides a physical barrier, inhibiting

newly hatched larvae from entering the trunk.”

~ Steve Diver, National Center for Appropriate Technology

 

Maintaining healthy trees and preventing sunburn are the keys to preventing damage by Pacific flatheaded (peach trunk) borer. Painting the trees with white wash or a 50:50 mixture of white interior latex paint and water will help prevent sunburn and possibly inhibit egg laying.

~ University of California IPM program

 

Painting the lower 1 to 2 feet of the trunk with white latex paint can help prevent bark splitting and may also deter egg laying by the peach tree borer.”

~ Cornell Cooperative Extension

 

I have more references.  I think the confusion may be in the idea that this provides “phenominal…efficacy”.   I think that would be a bit much to expect.  I mentioned in briefly before in response to a post from someone who I suspected did not have peach trunk borer, so I didn’t go further into controls.  Also, I was only referencing organic controls, again responding to that post, and did not go into detail of any organic control program, as I was unsure what the pest was.  I did not mean to really go further than to suggest that the appropriate controls would be dependent on that knowledge.

 

I didn’t mean to imply that latex paint was a complete control or phenomenally effective; nor, even, that it’s necessarily acceptable as an organic control if one wants certified produce; nor that there aren’t other effective methods in common use. 

 

So, I would say it’s unlikely that there is research about phenomenal latex paint efficiency.   Rather, many sources recommend it as part of a control program, organic or otherwise.

 

I’m sorry for the confusion.

 

~ Stephen

 

 

From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Alan Haigh
Sent: Monday, June 09, 2008 10:58 AM
To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [NAFEX] paint to deter peach borers?

 

Latex paint can deter peach trunk borer?  This is hard to believe given all the more arduous methods I've heard over the years to control this difficult pest (moth balls, fine screen etc.).  That also goes for paint vole control.  I can't see why the commercial growers out here would go to all the trouble and expense of placing bait under shingles and additionally wrapping their youngest trees with plastic guards if all they had to do was swab the base with some white paint. 

 

A little squirt of Lorsban does wonders for borer control but it is now restricted. 

 

So what gives?  Is anyone out there aware of any research about this phenominal latex paint efficacy?




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