Has anyone had experience with using these beneficial wasps? I would like to hear your results. I am about to order some & need to know many details about keeping them dormant until I am ready to release them.
Thanks!

I have not had any personal experience with them but I did read an article about a supplier who said they kept them under refrigeration at 40 degrees until shipping (they also shipped them cold to the fields):

http://news.google.com/newspap...

Thank you OG. informative article. I was looking at a couple of vendors who sell them. They said 50 degrees. So I want to find out more. We have 80 pecan trees in the property we just bought & there are webworms - Hyphantria cunea -- making a lot of webs in the trees. I need to stop them. I don't like using pesticides & poisons. And anyway, doing that I would have to hire a company b/c we certainly can't reach that far up into the trees (34 yrs. old) to spray. It would be cost prohibitive & against our "be kind to the earth" policy.

My main worries are --- it's hot as all get out here now --- will they stay cold enough in the shipping container? And how often do I need to plan to release them? I'm just learning about this pecan orchard care.

Are you opposed to dormant oil? Also, North Dakota Extension recommends ichneumon and braconid wasps (?)

http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extne...

I also see that the Dirt Doctor recommends the Trichogramma wasps - too many differing opinions out there He does have some other organic methods to try, though:

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/Webw...

I'm sorry that I cannot really help. Perhaps someone else will pop in with more definitive info?

No, you've been a great help OG! Thank you. I will read these articles this evening when I have time to really focus on them. Thank you!!

OldGardener said:Are you opposed to dormant oil? Also, North Dakota Extension recommends ichneumon and braconid wasps (?)

http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extne...

Funny, I read this one the other night when I was researching the subject. It's too late this year for the dormant oil spray. We need to think about it for next year ---- not sure about it.

It is a tough decision. Maybe you can find something before next spring that you feel more comfortable with.

I'm thinking that the wasps will break the life cycle & there won't be a need for anything else. Sure, I might lose some productivity the first year but after that......???? If I keep using the wasps.....

I think that is a really solid plan.

You see, pecans have a really good production 1 year & the next year is not so good so every other year is a "boom" year as I was told & this year is to be the boom year. Okay, so what's done is done already this year & I can't moan about it. We only closed on the house 3 months ago & I won't beat myself up for not getting right on the subject of the pecan orchard. And next year is not supposed to be a big production year anyway so I figure by the time 2015 rolls around; I will have the moths well under control & only be battling incoming moths with the wasps.

Please keep us updated. We have pecan trees, too, on our property in Texas and so I am really curious to see how the wasps work. When we purchased our land, there was a pecan contract/lease on the trees but we had the seller terminate it as part of the escrow. The previous owner was paid a set amount per year to allow a third party to come and harvest the pecans. In addition to harvesting, they were responsible for the upkeep of the trees and, from what I understand, this included spraying pesticides regularly. We were not comfortable with this (nor with the stipulations that 1) we would not utilize this area 8 or 9 months per year and 2) they had the right to send a representative out at any time to inspect the orchard without prior notification). Now that we are responsible for the trees, I want to go 100% organic.

Oh okay! Sounds like a plan to me OG!!!! I will most certainly let you know what happens. I am also investigating ways of harvesting the pecans as well as shelling them. This is 6 acres & there are 80 pecan trees on what I approximate to be 4 ac.; the trees are 30 years old. As soon as I can get to it (busy day tomorrow) I will take some photos. The trees may be too close together from what I read. The previous owner had & left for us this thing which he said picked up too much trash along with the pecans so he just ended up getting on his hands & knees & picking them up.
http://www.nutwizard.com/?gcli...
Well, I could tell you THAT thing is worthless for 80 trees!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sheesh!
So I'm looking at these:
http://baganut.com/nut-harvest...
I don't want to go too expensive yet until we find out this thing really does make money. I mean, if we're just going to get $500 yr. then I'm not going to put a lot of money & effort in it you know?
So the previous owner said he picked them up then took them (close by) to a commercial pecan grower & was charged 35 cents per lb. to crack them. Then he brought them home & shelled them BY HAND! Or SOME of them. He said don't take less than $1 lb. for unshelled & we could get up to $8 lb for shelled all from the same commercial grower. Well, I'm thinking why should I pay him 35 cents a lb. to crack them? Early on I did a real quickie search & I think we can get an electric cracker/sheller for not too much investment. Still have to check that out.
Needless to say, I have a lot of research yet to do. I would like to find a pecan grower forum so I could get the real low down.
LMK what you find out on your end please.

Thank you for the links. If I remember correctly, I think we have about 15 acres in pecans so I see what you mean about the nut wizard! I cannot even imagine. The second site is really interesting. I see they have a pull along model for an atv/mower, etc. that looks really interesting. I have very limited mobility from the waist down so I rely heavily on the atv when I am in TX (it's much better than legs and fun as can be ) But I hear what you are saying - if we're not going to get all that much for the pecans, is it worth the time, effort and $$ to harvest commercially? I guess I'll have to talk to a few people next time I am there and see what the going rates are in the local area.
I'll let you know what I find out but, please, keep me posted, too.

It's a deal then. We'll work together & share info. That's what ATP is all about anyway.

I'm really glad to have found someone who is mol in the same situation at the same time. It must be fate.

Check this out OG.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffi...

Great site, great info! Thank you for sharing.

Sure thing OG!

Since we are about to go on an extended discussion about all things pecans I think we should either continue our discussion on a more suitable forum don't you? What do you think more appropriate? Edibles & preserving forum or trees & shrubs forum? We want anyone in future looking for info. on pecan growing to be able to easily find the discussion. I thought about the farm forum but looked at it & most of the threads are really dealing with livestock so that's probably not the right place. Maybe we should have an orchard forum???? Dave ~~~ what do you think?

Okay, Dave says we used to have an orchard forum but it has been done away with as it didn't get enough use. So we should put our pecan discussions in the Edibles & preserving forum. I found this thread in there already so do you want to just pick up our discussion there? Here's the thread:
The thread "Pecan trees" in Vegetables and Fruit forum