[AG] Re: Pests on Pears

[Sue Bass]

I could not find information to match up with your small reddish worm.  I'm hoping that one of my fellow Master Gardeners will have insight on that one.  The small worm resembling a tadpole that you mentioned sounds like the larvae of a sawfly, one of which is known as the pear slug.  I found a photo that matched your description in the Sunset Western Garden Problem Solver, on page
187.  The book mentions that pear slug larvae chew and skeletonize the foliage, starting with new growth, then moving on to older leaves.  It states that no prevention measures are recommended.  As for management, the book states that sawflies have a large number of natural enemies, including birds, predaceous beetles, viruses, and native parasitoid wasps, which are usually able to
manage this pest.  Larvae on pear trees can be hand-picked, washed off the leaves, or killed by spraying with insecticidal soap.  Dusting leaves with wood ash will also kill pear slugs.  No chemical insecticides are recommended for home use.

Sue Bass
Master Gardener

joyzam@sedona.net wrote:

> arid_gardener
> We live in Sedona and have an old pear tree...today I found a small redish worm and many black spots on the leaves...as well as a green and a black very small worm (resembled a tadpole)... what is this? We dislike using insectisides...will this harm the fruit? we appreciate any information you may have for us...someone said it was a pear slug but no other information...Thank you
>
> _______________________________________________
> Arid_gardener mailing list
> Arid_gardener@Ag.Arizona.Edu
> http://Ag.Arizona.Edu/mailman/listinfo/arid_gardener
> Archives - <http://Ag.Arizona.Edu/pipermail/arid_gardener/>