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Late winter and early spring, when the temperatures are barely above freezing, is the time to apply the best preventative for scale and mites: dormant oil. Dormant oil sprays are used on fruit trees before the buds begin to swell and suffocate insects and their eggs nesting in branches.
Dormant oil is a natural pesticide that protects plants but not damage the fruit or environment. When prepared properly oil sprays control many pests that live through winter on tree trunks, twigs, and buds.
Dormant oils are especially useful for treating overwintering eggs of insects that curl leaves in the spring (such as aphids), the overwintering eggs of tent caterpillars and leaf rollers, mites that overwinter on conifers, and scale nymphs and adults.
Applying dormant oil helps control overwintering insect populations. Oils are less toxic for beneficial insects, like lady bugs, birds and other animals. Dormant oils are easy and cost effective.
Dormant oil sprays will suppress mite adults, immatures, and eggs. Remember that oils have a physical mode of action and cause a disruption of cell membranes (indirectly promotes suffocation). Therefore, to be effective, thorough oil coverage is required.
Dormant oil is a type of oil-based pesticide used to control insects and eliminate various pests threatening the health of your shrubs and trees. The substance is typically derived from vegetable sources (as opposed to mineral oil or petroleum sources).
Dormant oil sprays can control a variety of insect pests such as aphids, mealybug, thrips, whiteflies, adelgids, caterpillar eggs, leafhoppers, scale and mites. This control is more effective on young insects and less effective on more mature insects so timing and early intervention is key.
Traditional dormant oils are ideal for killing overwintering insect pests to prevent outbreaks in spring. A dormant oil will kill mature insects that are hiding from the cold, as well as insect eggs that may have been laid inside of plants.
You can rid your defenseless trees and shrubs of inconspicuous killers by using a prophylactic spray. The spray which should be used is referred to and sold under many brand names as dormant oil or scale emulsion.
Dormant sprays and horticultural oils are both an effective and ecologically friendly way to manage many different kinds of insect pests and some diseases. They are toxic to the pests you are trying to deter but they are much more eco-friendly than many alternatives.