Can anyone please advise? Ever since I planted my fruit trees, three years ago, they become infested with tiny spiders as soon as the leaves appear in Spring. They seem to turn the leaves into nests, by rolling up a leaf and I think, laying their eggs inside. If I unroll one of these leaves, I find inside, and mass of spider web strands and a bunch of very tiny baby spiders. The fully grown spiders (which are also tiny (2 or 3mm) create web strands between the branches, which in themselves is not a problem. It's the damage to the leaves that bothers me.

I also see a lot of ants running up and down the branches. I presume this means they are cultivating aphid colonies, although I haven't actually seen the aphids!

Something, (aphids, perhaps?) eats large holes in the leaves.

What is the best way to control the above issues? I did google this, but found no clear diagnosis.

Many thanks,

Al_n

In article ,
wrote:
Can anyone please advise? Ever since I planted my fruit trees, three
years ago, they become infested with tiny spiders as soon as the leaves
appear in Spring. They seem to turn the leaves into nests, by rolling up
a leaf and I think, laying their eggs inside. If I unroll one of these
leaves, I find inside, and mass of spider web strands and a bunch of
very tiny baby spiders. The fully grown spiders (which are also tiny (2
or 3mm) create web strands between the branches, which in themselves is
not a problem. It's the damage to the leaves that bothers me.

As big as 2-3mm? The symptoms sounds like spider mite, but they are
MUCH smaller. All spiders are carnivorous. Also, spider mite is
really only a problem in hot conditions (e.g. in greenhouses and
possibly summer). So I am a bit puzzled.

I also see a lot of ants running up and down the branches. I presume
this means they are cultivating aphid colonies, although I haven't
actually seen the aphids!

Ignore them. They are chasing after the honeydew excreted by sap-
sucking insects, and are irrelevant.

Something, (aphids, perhaps?) eats large holes in the leaves.

Not aphids, but there are several things that can do it. Unless
you see caterpillars, few of them do more than cosmetic damage.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Friday, April 7, 2017 at 5:01:45 PM UTC+1, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Al_n wrote:
Can anyone please advise? Ever since I planted my fruit trees, three
years ago, they become infested with tiny spiders as soon as the leaves
appear in Spring. They seem to turn the leaves into nests, by rolling up
a leaf and I think, laying their eggs inside. If I unroll one of these
leaves, I find inside, and mass of spider web strands and a bunch of
very tiny baby spiders. The fully grown spiders (which are also tiny (2
or 3mm) create web strands between the branches, which in themselves is
not a problem. It's the damage to the leaves that bothers me.

As big as 2-3mm? The symptoms sounds like spider mite, but they are
MUCH smaller. All spiders are carnivorous. Also, spider mite is
really only a problem in hot conditions (e.g. in greenhouses and
possibly summer). So I am a bit puzzled.

I also see a lot of ants running up and down the branches. I presume
this means they are cultivating aphid colonies, although I haven't
actually seen the aphids!

Ignore them. They are chasing after the honeydew excreted by sap-
sucking insects, and are irrelevant.

Something, (aphids, perhaps?) eats large holes in the leaves.

Not aphids, but there are several things that can do it. Unless
you see caterpillars, few of them do more than cosmetic damage.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Many thanks, Nick,
The 2mm spiders may be unrelated to the much tinier spiders (probably spider mites) nesting in the curled up leaves. Those appear later in the season, after the leaves are full size. So thanks for confirming spider-mites. I never see caterpillars in the trees, so unless they are nocturnal caterpillars, something else must be eating the big holes in the leaves. It was just worrying me a bit and is a bit of an eyesore marring an otherwise beautiful tree. Thanks for enlightening me.

Al_n

In article ,
Al_n wrote:
On Friday, April 7, 2017 at 5:01:45 PM UTC+1, Nick Maclaren wrote:

Many thanks, Nick,
The 2mm spiders may be unrelated to the much tinier spiders (probably
spider mites) nesting in the curled up leaves. Those appear later in the
season, after the leaves are full size. So thanks for confirming
spider-mites. I never see caterpillars in the trees, so unless they are
nocturnal caterpillars, something else must be eating the big holes in
the leaves. It was just worrying me a bit and is a bit of an eyesore
marring an otherwise beautiful tree. Thanks for enlightening me.

No problem. Look up leaf cutter bees, but there are other things
that make holes, too.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.