Thankfully in some areas, San Jose scale and plum curculio have not been particularly bad this season, but in my research plots in middle GA, I am starting to see an uptick in San Jose scale crawler activity. In these plots San Jose scale have been especially bad this year, and as such, I expect the second large peak of crawler activity to occur within 7-10 days in middle Georgia. Thus, the ridge has about two weeks and upstate SC has about three weeks from now until we would expect to see a peak in crawler activity. As a reminder, scale crawler activity can me monitored with electrical tape and double-sided tape (or vaseline).
Also note that plum curculio (PC) adults are also still active in Also note that plum curculio (PC) adults are also still active in the orchards.
If you have blocks where you have had a history of San Jose scale issues or have noticed problems this season, with the overlap of San Jose scale and PC activity, there is an opportunity to synergize management efforts for these pests. Please note the PHI for the listed chemicals.
In blocks with fruit on the trees, a combination of Imidan (3.5-4 lb; PHI=14 day) with Esteem (6 oz; PHI=14 days) or Centaur (34.5 oz; PHI=14 day) is likely our best (albeit expensive) option, with high efficacy for both PC and scale. Alternatively, another effective option is to tank mix Esteem or Centaur with either Belay (6 fl oz; PHI=21 days), Actara (4.5-5.5 oz; PHI=14 days), or Avaunt (5-6 oz; PHI=14 days). I cannot recommend mixing scale chemistries with a pyrethroid at this time, as the pyrethroids will have a larger negative impact on our natural enemy communities that may provide some natural control of San Jose scales.
In terms of scale-only management Esteem or Centaur alone are options, or Venerate XC (2 qt applied twice over 7 day period; 4 qt total; PHI=0 days), which is most effective when targeting peak crawler emergence, is an alternative option.
Lastly, in post-harvest blocks, consider applying 2% summer oil in at least 200 gallons of water/acre.
Please note that that while crawlers seem to be active all season long, there will be a third peak of activity in early August. I will post a reminder when we get closer to that date. That may be another option for a knocking the scale population back prior to our normal dormant management options.
I hope everyone is doing well during these troubling times!