My 30 acre orchard owner hates chemicals, he's 80 years old and third
generation owner of the orchard so knows his stuff, he sprays with "garlic
and citrus" which apparently sorts out codling, scab, canker, and other
problems and is bee friendly. He then mows sections of about 5 acres once
a month in rotation so that there is a good variety of wild flowers for
the bees to forage. He also uses insect traps that employ pheromones to
target specific species (sorry I can't be more specific, but I'm just a
beekeeper!)
His orchard has a much wider diversity of wildlife than any others I know
of in the area, especially those that keep the ground beneath trees clear
using herbicides and insecticides.... there is another way!
Peter
Cambridge UK
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