May 17, 20233 min read

Treating Fungal Disease While Protecting and Promoting Beneficial Insects

Maintaining healthy trees and plants is essential for a thriving ecosystem, but fungal diseases can pose a significant threat. When combating these diseases, it's crucial to consider the impact on beneficial insects that play vital roles in pollination, pest control, and overall ecosystem balance. In this post, we will explore methods for treating fungal disease in trees while minimizing harm to beneficial insects.

Accurate Diagnosis

Before applying any treatments, it's important to accurately identify the fungal disease affecting your trees. This helps in choosing the most effective and targeted treatment while reducing unnecessary applications that may harm beneficial insects.

In an effort to help folks identify fungal diseases on their plants and trees, I've recently launched a database of common fungal diseases that can help you get started with diagnosing and treating common fungal diseases. The main page has a list with images for visitors to search through before clicking on a specific fungal disease profile. Please see the link below:

Check out our Fungal Disease Database Here.

Cultural Practices

Implementing cultural practices can help prevent and manage fungal diseases in trees while supporting beneficial insects. Some cultural practices include:

Proper tree spacing and pruning to improve air circulation, reducing moisture that favors fungal growth.
Regularly removing fallen leaves, branches, and other plant debris to minimize fungal spores' presence.
Providing adequate nutrition and irrigation to promote tree vigor, enhancing their ability to resist diseases.

Organic Fungicides

When treating fungal diseases, opt for organic fungicides that are less harmful to beneficial insects. Look for products approved for organic gardening that contain ingredients such as copper-based compounds, sulfur, or biocontrol agents like Bacillus subtilis. These products are designed to target specific pathogens while minimizing collateral damage to beneficial insects.

Timing and Application Techniques

Timing and proper application techniques are crucial to minimize exposure of beneficial insects to fungicides. Consider the following:

Apply fungicides during periods when beneficial insects are less active, such as early morning or late evening.
Use targeted application methods, such as spot spraying directly on infected areas, instead of blanket coverage that may affect a larger area unnecessarily.
Be sure to avoid spraying anything directly on flowers and try to avoid spraying while a tree is flowering.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Adopting an Integrated Pest Management approach can help strike a balance between managing fungal diseases and preserving beneficial insects. IPM involves a combination of strategies, including:

Monitoring and early detection of fungal diseases.
Using biological controls, such as beneficial insects or fungi that specifically target the pathogens.
Implementing physical barriers or cultural practices to prevent disease spread such as pruning to remove diseased parts of the tree or plant or mulch to prevent soil-borne fungal pathogens to become airborne.

Promoting Beneficial Insect Habitats

Creating habitats that support beneficial insects near infected vegetation can help maintain a natural balance. Since this post is about treating fungal disease and protecting beneficial insects, let’s go deeper into how beneficial insects can protect your vegetation:

Predation of Fungal Pathogens: Some insects are natural predators of fungal pathogens. They feed on fungal spores, mycelium, or infected plant tissues, thereby reducing the population and spread of the pathogens. For example, certain mites, beetles, and other arthropods consume fungal spores and help limit their establishment and growth.
Parasitism of Fungal Pathogens: Certain parasitic wasps and flies lay their eggs inside fungal pathogens. The developing larvae then feed on the pathogens, ultimately killing them. This natural biological control mechanism helps suppress fungal disease populations in plants.
Dispersal of Antagonistic Fungi: Insects can inadvertently carry antagonistic fungi on their bodies or in their digestive tracts. When these insects move between plants, they may inadvertently spread the antagonistic fungi, which can compete with and suppress pathogenic fungi.
Pollination and Plant Health: Insects such as bees, butterflies, and flies contribute to plant health by acting as pollinators. Healthy, well-pollinated plants are generally more resilient and better equipped to defend against fungal diseases. Adequate pollination leads to improved plant vigor, increased plant defenses, and overall better disease resistance.
Indirect Effects: Insects can indirectly contribute to fungal disease control by modifying the plant's microenvironment. For example, certain insects facilitate air movement around plants, reducing humidity levels and creating less favorable conditions for fungal growth. They can also modify the microclimate by feeding on plant tissues or excreting substances that inhibit fungal development.

To promote beneficial insects, plant diverse flowering plants, provide water sources, and avoid the use of broad-spectrum insecticides in the vicinity.