FRASER FIR PEST CONTROL PORTAL
Insecticides in Christmas Trees — Just One Tool in the Pest Control Toolkit
Using Pesticides Wisely
Twenty years ago, pest control was fairly simple in Fraser fir Christmas trees grown in western North Carolina. Most people treated trees in the spring with granular Di-Syston 15 G for twig aphid control and sprayed every 2 to 3 years with Lindane with a high pressure sprayer for balsam woolly adelgid control. Today it is more complicated because there are more pests, more pesticides available, and different treatment windows. The biggest change is that many springtime pests such as twig aphids are often controlled in the fall. This website is designed to help the grower sort through all pest treatment options.
Growers can make one of two errors — either treating when they don't need to or not treating when they should. Both mistakes cause a problem.
Using a pesticide when you don't need to:
- wastes money,
- exposes the environment and the pesticide applicator unnecessarily to pesticides,
- and endangers the pests' natural enemies that are giving free pest control.
Not using a pesticide or some other form of pest control when you need to:
- causes unnecessary damage to the tree,
- may make the rotation longer which adds to production costs,
- and allows pest numbers to build up to the point where they are harder to eliminate, requiring a stronger pesticide for control.
The guidelines outlined in this pest control portal will help you decide what to treat for, with what and when.
For more information on the safe application of pesticides see: Christmas Tree Farm Safety: Pesticides.
For more information on pesticides used in Christmas trees see: Pesticides Labeled for Use on Christmas Trees in North Carolina.
A Note to the Public on Insecticide Use in Christmas Trees
On this site are lists of insecticides applied either singly or in combination during different treatment windows. To a causal observer, it might appear that a lot of pesticides are used in Christmas trees. This is not the case. Compared to other commodities grown in western North Carolina such as apples and pumpkins, overall pesticide use is lower in Christmas trees. With the use of IPM techniques described in the Fraser Fir Pest Control Portal, growers have cut their insecticide use by more than half since 2000 and have greatly reduced the use of broad-spectrum organophosphates. In the last pest management survey conducted in 2006, growers reported making only 1.3 insecticide applications per year averaged over all tree sizes. This web site was created to help growers sort through all the treatment options available to them, so that they can pick the one option that fits their situation best, thereby helping them make the safest and most efficient pesticide choice possible. That's why there are so many different combinations listed.
For more information on pesticide use in Christmas trees in western North Carolina see: Frequently Asked Questions About Christmas Tree Farms and Pesticides.
Fraser Fir Pest Control Portal Informational Pages:
- The Foundation of Pest Control — Cultural Practices
- Scouting — The Steering Wheel
- Control Based on Time in Rotation — since not every pest is a problem at every age.
- Control Based on Treatment Window — what pests you can control at different times of year.
- Control Based on Highest Priority Pest — an aid in controlling multiple pests while controlling the most important ones.
- Important Insecticide Application Considerations — includes information on sprayers, labels, application tips, weather considerations, and protecting pollinators.
- Organic Fraser Fir Pest Control
- Links to Christmas Tree Notes and Photographs of Individual Pests
- Disclaimer
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