2024-08-17 09:34:10
In the middle of August, the leaves of chestnut trees will turn brown and fall to the ground like leaves: This is usually a sign that the tree has larvae in the green soil. This year it is very noticeable, as noted by Olaf Zimmermann, a scientist at the Augustenberg Institute of Agricultural Technology in Karlsruhe.
The reason for this could be the higher temperatures in recent years. Insects, which come from southeastern Europe, are especially at home here. “There is a lack of specialized opponents of this type,” Zimmermann added. There are some species of parasitic wasps. However, leaf miners continue to spread.
“Trees never die”
But the good news is: According to Zimmermann, the trees did not die as a result of the infestation. Since the leaf miner has been the case, no chestnut has died due to the larvae of the insects. “The trees pay a lot of money,” said the expert. The damage is more visual. However, it can weaken the trees and thus make them more susceptible to other diseases, says BUND Baden-Württemberg.
So if you want to make a chestnut tree in front of your front door, the residents can get the leaves in autumn. Because that’s where the bugs are. In this way, the next generation of moths can be contained, he said. It also helps to record damage and enter it into databases.
Only the flowering horse chestnut is attacked by moths. That’s why the region should also choose red-flowered and hybrids in their planning, says the expert.
The virus is tolerant
Of the “new” pests, the chestnut leaf miner is more tolerable from a plant protection perspective, Zimmermann said. The Japanese beetle, which was found for the first time in Germany in 2021, has a completely different destructive power.
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