Pear Psylla
Image credit: Bruce Watt, University of Maine, Bugwood.org
Image credit: Charles Olsen, Charles Olsen Insect Collection, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org
Pear Psylla (Cacopsylla pyricola)
Identification
- Small, oval, creamy white to yellow eggs can be found before buds open at the base of terminals and fruit spurs.
- Adult pictured above is similar in size to a fruit fly.
Reasons for Control
- As a sap-sucker, the insect can stunt, defoliate, and/or kill pear trees when present in large numbers.
- Excretions support fungal growth that blackens trees and discolors fruit.
- Disease vector for Pear Decline, leading to unproductive plantings.
Control Notes
- Usually controlled in the early spring with dormant oil applications targeting the egg stage.