These pests are not easy to find in the field for two reasons. One, they are perfectly colored to blend into the almond trees, so you may walk right past them, and two, they hide really well! When I was working as a Pest Control Advisor I found a Leaf-Footed Bug in a grower’s field, mostly by luck, but it actively tried to hide from me. If I moved to the left it would move to the right, if I pulled the branch down it would try to move lower under the leaves. They work hard to not be seen. In most situations you’ll hear a Leaf-Footed Bug flying before you see one. Just be ready though, it will sound like a Chinook helicopter buzzing by. Since these pests are hard to find in the field, the best way to identify if you have a problem is probably also the most depressing. You must look for the damage. The damage is identified by dropped or aborted nuts especially early in the season months of March and April or nuts with exuding gumming ( Figure 4 ). These insects will continue to feed after the nut has hardened which will result in the defect known as Brown Spot ( Figure 5 ).
Figure 4 UC Davis Statewide IPM Program
The damage caused by both insects can be severe. You may lose production from aborting nuts, have high reject levels because of Brown Spot, or both! Controlling them becomes the number one priority. The problem is, as growers, you have lost some of the best tools against these pests. Chlorpyrifos used to be a successful product when battling these bugs, but with new restrictions it has become a relic of the past. This leaves growers with pyrethroids, which can cause secondary pest issues like mites when used multiple times. The hardest part about controlling these pests is the spray material needs to make contact with them. They are notorious for walking on their “toes” and not having much contact with foliage. They also feed from deep inside the nut, so they have little chance of ingesting material. In my opinion, the best way to achieve control
TGSV-Blade20154.5x5FINAL.pdf 1 12/12/14 2:42 PM
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