Mango Tree Question

[Kickstand]

I have several mature mango trees at my house. This year they have all developed a sticky covering on the leaves that is dripping a sticky substance like rain, covering everything. This did not happen last year.

Does anybody have an idea of what this is and what is causing it?

I have reserched on line and can't find anything about it. Have any of you Thai Visa folks encountered this?

Thanks.

Kickstand

[LennyW]

It seems that this year weather conditions have been exactly right for the mango trees, there is an abundance of blooms which seem to be causing the excess sap. I saw some trees in an orchard a couple of weeks ago in Suphan Buri where the blooms were so heavy they were near touching the ground, on the same excursion i also made the mistake of parking under a mature tree - car was a sticky mess!!!

Here in Pattaya too, all the trees seem to be blooming to excess - i guess mango's will be in abundance and cheap this year??

[Kickstand]

Thanks...

That is sort of what I was thinking, but wasn't sure if it was a disease or infestation of some kind.

[oevna]

I have several mature mango trees at my house. This year they have all developed a sticky covering on the leaves that is dripping a sticky substance like rain, covering everything. This did not happen last year.

Does anybody have an idea of what this is and what is causing it?

I have reserched on line and can't find anything about it. Have any of you Thai Visa folks encountered this?

Thanks.

Kickstand

It might also be an aphid infestation, although given that Kickstand said that this is a common occurrence this year due to an especially fruitful mango harvest, hopefully that is all it is.

What color is the sap? I found an article about an aphid infestation in Oakland, California that might be relevant:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn41...10/ai_n14580250

And here is an image of one sort of aphid (they are the fluffy white things on the leaves), in case you want to check your mango tree for a similar infestation:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/showimage/1438/

[toybits]

Ha ha.. those are nasty mango hoppers. They are tiny little bugs that suck on succelent stems and mango blossoms. When they suck on your mango tree, they form droplets of a sugary substance from their behind. These drop on the the pavement or ground, and sometimes, coat your tree with it. It also attracts ants which sometimes maintain farms of hoppers - forming a kind of symbiotic relationship. Ants provide protection, hoppers provide the food. It could also mean disaster to your mango crop - unless you protect your tree by killing the hoppers (spraying chemical insecticide or insecticides from natural sources - e.g. nicotine, rotenone etc.).

[Slip]

I don't farm anything but this is kinda interesting. I have an enormous tree in my garden which for the two years I've been here fruits three times a year and drops a lot of crap- it's so bad we can't sit under it. My neighbour told me the name which now I forget, but I misunderstood it as 'Nam Tok'- waterfall in Thai. (Have just checked with a Thai friend-apparently it's 'nam dok'). Anyway this tree has always dropped a lot of sap which is why I made the naming mistake, it also had several ant colonies living in it. So maybe this bug was/is the issue.

However in the last harvest ( 2 weeks ago) we had no sap and maybe only 20 fruit. So I wonder if anyone knows if this aphid can affect the harvest (meaning season)after the infestation?

Mind you the new blossom (which started whilst the old fruit was still falling from the tree) looks very healthy and there's lot of it, so maybe it was just a weird stunted crop.

[JetsetBkk]

The mango tree in the corner of my garden is on its last legs - ants have slowly destroyed it branch by branch. I had a few dodgy looking branches cut off before they could fall down. Many a night I'd be tapping away on the keyboard and hear an almighty crash as another branch fell down.

On the positive side, at least I won't have to go around every evening picking up the fallen fruit so it doesn't go bad and stink the place out!

[toybits]

Mamuang Naam Dok Mai? Naam Dok Mai - means nectar but also could mean sweet. It is a name for a variety of Thai Mango. The Mango hoppers are very happy during flowering or blushing (producing new shoots) periods of the tree. The is because they have an easier time piercing into softer tissues to get what sustainance they need. Mature branches or leaves are a waste of time.

If you want to have a good mango crop, make sure to disinfect the tree/orchard right before blooming. Do this by looking at the terminal buds and see if it is beginning to break (bulging-rounded tips).

Mango hoppers can stunt the branches or cause secondary fungal infestation.

I don't farm anything but this is kinda interesting. I have an enormous tree in my garden which for the two years I've been here fruits three times a year and drops a lot of crap- it's so bad we can't sit under it. My neighbour told me the name which now I forget, but I misunderstood it as 'Nam Tok'- waterfall in Thai. (Have just checked with a Thai friend-apparently it's 'nam dok'). Anyway this tree has always dropped a lot of sap which is why I made the naming mistake, it also had several ant colonies living in it. So maybe this bug was/is the issue.

However in the last harvest ( 2 weeks ago) we had no sap and maybe only 20 fruit. So I wonder if anyone knows if this aphid can affect the harvest (meaning season)after the infestation?

Mind you the new blossom (which started whilst the old fruit was still falling from the tree) looks very healthy and there's lot of it, so maybe it was just a weird stunted crop.

Edited January 21, 2009 by toybits

[toybits]

I think you must reassess your conclusion that these "ant" are really ants and not TERMITES.

The mango tree in the corner of my garden is on its last legs - ants have slowly destroyed it branch by branch. I had a few dodgy looking branches cut off before they could fall down. Many a night I'd be tapping away on the keyboard and hear an almighty crash as another branch fell down.

On the positive side, at least I won't have to go around every evening picking up the fallen fruit so it doesn't go bad and stink the place out!

[JetsetBkk]

I think you must reassess your conclusion that these "ant" are really ants and not TERMITES.

Agreed! I didn't say 'termites' because it sounds too dramatic. Maybe I'll get a take a photo of them and post it. Trouble is, that corner of the garden is a bit of a "no-go" area because if you stand in some places, your feet get bitten by the angry little b*ggers!