The health of the pistachio tree, if well nourished and grown under the right conditions, enjoys good health. Its genetics are those of a very robust rustic tree. It is hardly affected by pests or diseases, as it is a recently introduced crop in Spain, and also thanks to the country’s dry, long and hot summers.

Here is a list of the pests in Spain that most commonly appear during pistachio cultivation. If you know their weaknesses, you will be better able to protect your pistachio trees’ health. Prevention is the key to control! At Domo Pistachio we are experts, from cultivation to marketing. We know how important it is to start out right and sustain excellence!

The pests to be prepared for to ensure the health of the pistachio tree

All of them feature low damage levels. You will have to be careful, however, as the more long-standing your crop, the more exposed it will be. Be on your guard to preserve the health of your pistachio tree.

Cimex lectularius (“bed bugs”)

1. When do they attack? These parasitic insects usually cause problems in a very specific period: during the growing season, from the end of March or the first half of April, when flowering begins until the shell hardens, during approximately the second half of May.
2. What harm do they do? They damage the epicarp, and the fruits turn black in the area where the insect has sucked. Sometimes it dies and falls.
3. How to control this pest. Early detection is vital, although treatments with different active ingredients are advisable to prevent resistance in insects. Cypermethrin should be used in Spain. If cultivation is organic, it is recommended to spray the tree with paraffin oil at the end of winter. Repellents based on garlic powder or azadirachtin, or products based on potassium oleate, or Quassia amara L. extract, can also be applied.

Mediterranean flour moth

1. When do they attack? If the fruits are already open on the tree, damage can begin there, but it usually happens at the storage site.
2. What harm do they do? It is a nocturnal moth that lays its eggs in a hole it makes inside the pistachio kernel. They generate excrement and secrete silk, resulting in a very unpleasant appearance.
3. How to control this pest. Chemical control is not very effective and these insects develop resistance to it. In warehouses, sulfuryl fluoride and magnesium phosphide can be used. For organic control, at the slightest sign of contamination, subject the product to sub-zero temperatures, close to -18º, or temperatures around 60º, for a full day. It is also possible to carry out treatments based on pyrethrin extract.

Dust mites

1. When do they attack? They become active in the spring, but live in the aerial part of the tree. They tend to spend the winter near bark cracks and at the bases of shoots and buds.
2. What harm do they do? They attack young shoots and leaves. If the plague is severe, they deform the clusters, leaves, branches and shoots.
3. How to control this pest. Use calcium polysulfide and hexythiazox. If the crop is organic, powdered sulphur is usually very effective before the mite population intensifies. Also effective is atomization with paraffin oil, or the use of azadirachtin, potassium oleate or Quassia amara powder.

Cochineal

1. When do they attack? During the spring and summer, until temperatures exceed 30º.
2. What harm do they do? They reduce photosynthesis in the tree and hamper the development of shoots. The number of open fruits decreases.
3. How to control this pest. Ideally bed bugs will do away with them, but if they do not exist due to the use of insecticides against them, in Spain there is no treatment endorsed by MAPAMA. If cultivation is organic, we recommend cultivating conditions favouring the natural enemies of the cochineal to reduce its population: wasps, ladybugs and bed bugs of the genus Phytocoris.

Scarab

1. When do they attack? In the month of May, when the move from undergrowth to young trees.
2. What harm do they do? This pest is capable of devouring the leaves of young trees in just a few hours.
3. How to control this pest. The lambda cyhalothrin and chlorantraliliprole compounds are active ingredients authorized in Spain. If cultivation is organic, treatments include natural pyrethrins, azadirachtin, or garlic powder.

Nodule worms

1. When do they attack? In the spring, after eggs hatch.
2. What harm do they do? They pierce roots and suck sap. The infection produces a characteristic thickening and black lesions on roots.
3. How to control this pest. With products based on ethoprophos, fenamiphos, etc. If cultivation is organic, prevention is vital, as if the parasite spreads it is almost impossible to eradicate it.

At Domo Pistachio we grow our trees with great diligence and care. Keeping pests under control, we offer a fruit of the highest quality. We pride ourselves on them growing healthy and strong.

Contact us if you would like to start marketing exquisite pistachios from Castilla La Mancha! Until our next post. We look forward to hearing from you.