I have a peach tree, about eight years old. It produces abundent amounts of fruit, large and sweet.(very juicy) over the past three years it has developed a bug, small hard shell skinny about 3/8 long. I spray orchard spray and malethone at first sight of bud. Unfortunately, the bugs are winning. No eatable peached this year. Notice weeping at bottom of tree this year. Help!!!!

-- Dan (danbarb47@peoplepc.com), August 15, 2002

Answers

If the bottom of the tree has little holes that ooze sap, you have a worm in the base of your tree. We lost a peach tree that way, once: if the tree is girdled it will die. You can kill the worms by putting a thin wire into the hole, this will skewer the worm. The worm will usually bore onder the bark, so be prepared to find out which way the hole goes. Good luck!

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), August 20, 2002.