Protecting your fruit trees from pests in the summer time can be frustrating and seem to be an impossible task to accomplish. Doing so without pesticides or chemicals is even more so. Many people are scared by the prospect of using chemical pesticides, believing that they will infect the tree and its fruit. If done properly, however, this is rarely the case. You can get rid of pests using chemicals and not infect the tree or its fruit in the process.

If you're using chemicals, you're likely using a pump (atomizing) sprayer or a hose-mounted bottle sprayer. In either case, your technique is what will keep your trees healthy and safe.

Using a pump sprayer, you can more accurately determine the mix of chemicals and where the spray will land. On the down side, however, you won't be able to spray as far and are more likely to get it on yourself. So wearing proper clothing that covers your body and a mask will keep you from inhaling the spray. You'll also need a ladder and more maneuverability as you'll be required to be much closer to the spray areas.

Using a hose-end sprayer, you will have longer range and wider coverage-including the top of the tree. However, you won't have the accuracy and the mixture is totally dependent on water pressure, which you can't easily regulate. The chemicals you purchase to use this way are much more concentrated and need to be well-diluted in order to be safe. This means good water pressure. So if you're going to spray and your water pressure seems low, wait and see if it improves later in the day or earlier in the morning.

When you actually spray with these devices, the object is the same: even coverage over all surfaces. The spray should not be dripping from the leaves, but every surface should get an application. A ladder can help you get to the harder-to-reach areas of the tree. Apply the spray evenly, moving it back and forth so you don't hit the same spot twice.

With and other larger trees, spraying of insecticide from the inside to the outside (trunk to leaf) is best and will ensure best coverage. Starting from the top and working down, you'll be able to see where the spray has dripped down and avoid re-covering those areas. This also allows you to methodically cover all areas of the tree without question as to whether you've done a spot or not.

Once you've completed spraying, be sure to completely clean off your equipment to get any residues off of them and then thoroughly clean your clothes and yourself to make sure you've washed it off completely. Wash your clothes separately and in a small load so as to get as much water into the wash basin as possible, ensuring the chemicals are thoroughly rinsed away.

Finally, water the base of the tree and around it on the ground in a parameter slightly larger than the tree's spread. Soak the ground thoroughly to make sure all the chemicals which dripped down are heavily diluted. This keeps them from absorbing too readily into the tree itself, thus keeping your tree and its fruit healthy.