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DISEASE OF THE MONTH - Codling Moth
What's it look like?
If you have codling moth in the orchard you'll first detect them by the evidence of small holes pierced in the skin of your apples. Small scale-like eggs are laid on the surface of the fruit and the larva burrow into the fruit, feeding along the way. Some nibbled waste is deposited on the outside of the fruit as it eats its way in.
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Source: http://www.postharvest.tfrec.wsu.edu/
marketdiseases/Apples/codling_moth.jpg
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Affected fruit can rot inside, fall to the ground prematurely, or still contain worms inside when harvested.
What it attacks
Apples, pears, quince, crabapples some stonefruit and nut trees. This is a very serious pest and many areas require manditory control to be taken to eradicate them. It can take up to a few years to achieve good control in an infected orchard.
What to do before it arrives
Control can be very difficult organically, but a combination of measures will reduce numbers significantly.
Companion plant with naturtiums and parsnips. The flowers attract beneficial insects like wasps and hoverflies that help control the caterpillars. Plant nectar rich shrubs to attract small birds that also feed on the caterpillars.
From late winter through to summer, wrap a cardboard or hessian sheet around the trunk and main branches and secure with string or rope. When the larva have had their feed on the fruit they migrate down the tree to find a suitable place to make a cocoon in the bark. This is often done at night without you knowing anything about it. The caterpillars stay in the cardboard or hessian. The idea is to inspect these traps weekly and kill the caterpillars before they have a chance to reproduce. Replace the sheet and keep up the regular checks.
Also make sure that there are no other suitable places for the caterpillars to make cocoons. They'll seek out old bits of wood or branches if they're kept close to the orchard.
What to do if you already have problems
Hygiene is vital for control of this pest. Make sure you destroy all infected fruit as soon as possible. Don't compost it because you'll only make it worse by allowing the caterpillars to hibernate in the soil until temperatures are warm enough to get moving again. So clear up any fallen fruit immediately. Better still, feed it to some chooks if you have some.
Derris and Dipel can be sprayed on the fruit but their effectiveness is limited.
For further information:
Harmful and Beneficial Insects and Mites of Tree Fruits
Codling Moth. Cydia pomonella (Linnaeus) Life Cycle: Overwinter on trees as mature larvae in cocoons. ... The copper spot on the forewings distinguishes male codling moths from other small moths found in pheromone traps ...
http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/fieldguide/codlingmoth.htm
Codling Moth
... Codling Moth Cydia pomonella (L.) ... Introduction: The codling moth (CM), a native pest of Eurasia introduced into the United States over 200 years ago, now ...
http://www.ento.vt.edu/Fruitfiles/codlingmoth.html
Codling Moth Cydia pomonella (Linnaeus)
... Codling Moth. Cydia pomonella (Linnaeus) ... Codling moth is the most serious pest of apple and pear worldwide ...
http://extension.usu.edu/files/factsheets/codling.pdf
codling moth
... codling moth , small moth, Carpocapsa pomonella, whose larva is the destructive apple worm ... quinces, and English walnuts. The codling moth is classified in the phylum Arthropoda ...
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/sci/A0812766.html
Codling Moth
Popular article about the codling moth, Cydia pomonella, its life cycle and non-chemical control in the Seattle, Washington area. ... apples of concern in our area, the apple codling moth: Cydia pomonella, micromoth family Tortricidae, and the ... So let's start with the codling moth. Codling moth adult (U ...
http://crawford.tardigrade.net/bugs/BugofMonth33.html
Codling Moth
... Codling Moth (Cydia pomonella) ... Mature codling moth larvae overwinter in silken cocoons spun under loose bark, in the soil or in trash at the base of ...
http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/tfipm/codlingmoth.htm
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