blister mite, Pear

[areia]

having looked through the site im pretty certain my pear has blister mites, pretty much taken most of the bottom part of the tree and is working its was up

is there anything i can do to stop them do they prevent fruit growth, ive got plenty of blossom on the tree now too

The tree is in a open airy spot its does get hit with wind and rain, have yet to nose at other allotment trees to see if they have any that are effected, I inherited the tree when i took the plot its looks to be 3 yrs old so fairly young,

Is it worth saving ???

[FB.]

The fruits may be affected due to a chain reaction as follows:

Leaves and roots are interdependent and fruit is dependent on both leaves and roots.

So if leaves or roots aren't functioning normally, the whole struggles; growth may stop and the fruits may well be dropped before ripe due to the tree being unable to cope.

If roots are damaged or not working due to drought, leaves will drop due to lack of water or nutrients.

If leaves aren't working due to pest or disease, the roots will not grow due to lack of sugars being produced by sunlight on the leaves and therefore no sugars being sent down to fuel root growth.

Fruits need both sugars from the leaves, and water/nutrients from the roots. So fruit quality is one of the first things to suffer when the plant is unhappy, or if the plant is trying to grow strongly while young (therefore shoots and leaves compete for nutrients; the leaves usually win).

As for what to do?
Have you used any chemicals in the last couple of years which might have killed the predators which might eat the mites?
Has your climate been unusual compared to most years?
Is the plant a bit unhappy generally? (has it been growing normally and is healthy?)
It is quite common for unhappy plants to attract more than their fair share of pests due to their weakened condition.

My inclination would be to do nothing, because the tree has to fend for itself, otherwise you're left having to use chemicals regularly (assuming a chemical can be found which kills mites; many people think that the only cure is picking-off damaged leaves).
If it was a full-size tree, you wouldn't be able to pick them all off.

But once you start spraying chemicals, it upsets the whole ecosystem, so the plant's "friendly creatures" (predators) get killed too, thus exposing the plant to attack from yet more different pests which were formerly kept under control by the predators.

[kiwiman]

I had the same trouble last year, but having searched this site I found a treatment which has to be carried out at or just before bud burst. The treatment consisted of spraying vegetable oil, I used sunflower oil, diluted with water and a small amount of soap/detergent to act as a dispersant to allow the liquid to be sprayed onto the plant. The tree is looking much better this year with only a few leaves affected, I have pinched these off. Obviously this treatment is now too late, but you could try it at the end of the autumn when the leaves have all dropped as the mites supposedly overwinter in the bud scales. Then try again next spring before bud burst.
Other information I have gleaned from the internet says that although unsightly, does not do any real damage to the tree. Sorry I can't remember the exact quantities but it was something like 5ml oil to 250ml water and a few drops of detergent. If you search for pear blister you may find the exact quantites from the original poster. Best of luck.

[FB.]

kiwiman

A long time ago, I used to breed exotic birds. Sometimes they would suffer from mites of various kinds - sometimes brought-in with new breeding stock, but undetectable at the time; only manifesting many months later (although I eventually adopted a quarantine-type system).

One of the best "cures" for the mites on the birds was - as you seem to have found with plants - to suffocate them with soapy/oily substances.

Since mites aren't strictly insects, I would need to do some study to see whether common insecticides would be effective; my guess is that they may not be effective (hence the suggestion that it is difficult to "cure" other than by picking off the leaves before an infestation gets out of control.

[Mato]

Interesting the same treatment on birds is able to be used on plants as well. I imagine oil and soap would kill more than just mites, though.

[areia]

would it be a deffinate no no to just remove effected leaves branches in a vain atempt to prevent more spreading, its blossoming loverly up the top just lower half is really bad, I know pruneing isnt recconmended this time of year but.... might give the oilxwaterx detergant a go,,,

feel really bad as i said to another plot holder im not a fan of pears feel like ive jinx the poor thing

Im not sure use of chemicals all i found in the cupboard in their shed was washing up liquid and a load of slug pellets ( not gonna use them ) im guessing they havent used anything on the tree

[kiwiman]

Hi areia,
I was fortunate in having a smallish espalier ( about 6 feet tall). If you have a large tree to deal with thats a different ballgame, although I suppose if you had a larger sprayer you could just up the mix quantity. Personally I would't resort to major surgery, could do more harm than good, trees are pretty resilient, I think your best bet is to try the "treatment" this autumn when all the leaves are gone, easier to cover all the branches with no foliage.