North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[<dmnorton@royaloakfarmorchard.com>]

Mating disruption utilizes pheromones for codling moth control and there is also the codling moth virus products that provide yet additional options for conventional and organic growers. The industry standard for mating disruption is still some sort of plastic dispenser (a twist-tie, ring, or similar pheromone “holder” that is attached to twigs) used at rates of 100 (for some oriental fruit moth products) to 400 (for codling moth) dispensers per acre. For organic growers, these are the best single approach to controlling codling moth and oriental fruit moth; for conventional growers, these products may allow far less use of conventional insecticides against these pests. Products that use other application procedures such as “puffers” or liquid sprayable formulations also are available. Codling moth granulosis virus also provides partial control of codling moth; products include Cyd-X, Carpovirusine, and Virosoft CP4. Mating disruption (for either codling moth or oriental fruit moth) and the codling moth virus are species-specific … they do not affect any other pest species. (For more details on mating disruption or virus products, you contact me off-list).

Pheromone dispensers are commercially available for a number of pests in addition to codling moth including various species of leafrollers, peachtree borer, oriental fruit moth (Grapolita molesta Busck), and grape berry moth (Endipiza viteana Clemens).

Both the mating disruption twist ties and the codling moth virus is available from Great Lakes IPM at http://www.greatlakesipm.com or  800-235-0285. Ask for Jim and he will assist you in planning a mating disruption program for your particular number of trees.   They do carry the full line of the Pacific Biocontrol Isomate Mating Disruptant twist ties for codling moth.  They last from 120-140 days, come 400 twist ties to the pack and cost around $100 to treat one acre.  I highly recommend contacting Great Lakes IPM and get one of their catalogs which includes a great deal of information on pest management as well as the resources to combat them. Hope this helps!

Dennis Norton
Royal Oak Farm Orchard
http://www.royaloakfarmorchard.com
http://www.theorchardkeeper.blogspot.com
http://www.revivalhymn.com

----- Original Message -----

From: Stephen Sadler

To: 'North American Fruit Explorers'

Sent: Friday, April 04, 2008 3:51 PM

Subject: [NAFEX] Codling moth

I may have missed it, but did anyone mention pheromones for codling moth control?  You can use individual traps for monitoring, or you can completely trap the moths out.  You can trap out at one trap per tree.  For larger plantings, confusion lures are more cost and labor efficient.  I haven’t found a better organic control. 

 

Personally, I have had good success producing quality apples with fewer traps and a release of praying mantises – but I wonder if I lost pollinating bees with such an indiscriminate predator.

 

~ Stephen

 

From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Patsy King
Sent: Friday, April 04, 2008 9:36 AM
To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Cut Down Apple Trees? Mark and Doug especially

 

Hello..some thoughts on codling moth, which seems to be one of my 2 main apple troubles in southwestern Oregon, zone 7 or 8. 

I had a huge percentage of codling invaded apples 2 years ago, but almost none last year.  I don't know if that is from some reason unrelated to my control efforts or whether my control attempts were successful, but I'll mention what the controls were that I tried so you may try reading up on them and see if you want to try them.  I am not at home as I write this so don't have access to my notes on dates and other details, but what I recall is that I tried spraying with NEEM for the first time last early spring.  I believe I had it mixed in with dormant oil, possibly in February. ( I am not at all sure that there is any codling activity at that time of the year, way before bud break here, so I wonder if that neem was a needed spray or not.  This year I did NOT use the neem in February.  This summer I may find out if pests are more numerous that might have been eliminated if I had used it again.)   I think neem is a scab control, but I would not think that my timing last year would have been at the right time for that.  However, I had almost no scab damage, so possibly the neem stayed on the trees long enough, or possibly last year simply was not a scab year for anybody in my area.

The other control I tried last year for the first time was SPINOSAD.  I understand that it is a caterpillar killer similar to BT but that spinosad has a much better residual effect than BT, making the timing of the spray less demanding since it has some activity for possibly 7 or 10 days if I am remembering right.   One big warning about spinosad is that it is TOXIC TO BEES, however, so you don't want to spray till all the petals have dropped in any case.   Last year I sprayed with the spinosad twice I think, 10 days apart.  What I don't have here is the date, but I believe it was in May.  I did put up 2 pheremone traps for the codlings to see when they were active, so that helped me determine the timing to spray the spinosad.

I also tried to inspect the apples quite often and picked off and disposed of any with stings as soon as I saw them, hoping to esentially trap them that way and destroy them before they reproduced.

I tried various molasses/vinegar/juice mixtures in jugs like you mentioned, Mark.  I've seen several somewhat similar recipes published in quite a few sources.  I want to try this method again because I did not inspect those jug traps well to see what I had caught.  I wonder if they might attract and kill beneficials, so this year I do want to try to determine that. I'm afraid I didn't even find out if I had caught the codling moths, themselves.  I do know how to recognize those and also their larvae.

 However, in general, insect identification is a huge problem for me.  I have at least 8 or 10 books on insects and insect identification and also insect damage and control in farms and orchards, and I still find it too vast, since there are so many insect types, and they go through various stages that are not always illustrated in the books.  I am also hesitant to kill insects because so many are beneficial.   I believe it would be really helpful to learn the identification in person from somebody that walks your orchard and garden with you quite a few times!!   I know that I have found some websites with good insect information, and I will try to post links to those when I have access to my own computer.  But I think it would be wonderful if others will post links to their own favorite insect and disease identification/control sites.

Many sources tell the importance of picking up all fallen fruit and scabby leaves as soon as they fall, so preventing continuation of varoius pests' life cycles.

I have used the cardboard bands on the trunks of the trees and have caught a few codling pupae that way, but not terribly many.  I believe it is helpful to have larger currugations than some cardboard.  I have now scavenged through boxes and found some made of thicker stuff with the bigger corrugations and will try that this year.  I think one is also supposed to remove and burn the bands every week or so in order to kill the pupae before they hatch and leave.

Michael Phillips book The Apple Grower was mentioned, and there is now a second edition, which is supposed to have even more information.  I have not seen the new edition, but I heartily recommend Phillips' website.  It has links to lots of organic apple growing methods and he has a newsletter on his site with information of his own and I believe he has a discussion board of some sort.  I'll try to put a link here.  If it doesn't work, try googling "lost nation orchard" and click on "grow organic".

http://www.herbsandapples.com/orchard/edge.php?PHPSESSID=1b424e117741b344fb2dfb6cd74f6f46http://www.herbsandapples.com/orchard/edge.php?PHPSESSID=1b424e117741b344fb2dfb6cd74f6f46

Mark, I really enjoyed the info you had on possible host plants for beneficials.  Do you have any hints about where you have found mention of the studies?  I am quite interested in this subject and would love to find more sources for that type of information.  I may plant the winterberry and buckwheet, and I already have plenty of wild blackberry around.   I've read in several sources that chives are helpful against fungal diseases, so the're recommended to plant under peaches and apples  (for peach leaf curl and scab, respectively).  And I've heard that alyssum is good for various beneficial insects, so I have started those 2 plants under some of my trees.   Some recent article that I read said that hardy marguerite (Anthemis tinctoria) attracted the most beneficials of all plants in the study ...but I don't recall what the other plants were.

Anyway, happy fruit growing to all.  There sure is no shortage of things to be learned!!  Maybe that's why it's so fun.
Sorry for the length of this!  --patsy king

Some years ago I noticed a letter in "Fine Gardening" which said that
the writer had controlled codling moth in a garden planting of apples by
putting in the trees plastic jugs with small openings (openings pointed
horizontal or down to prevent dilution by rain, and alignment with
light) and putting in the jugs a solution which would ferment (maybe
molasses and apple juice, I forget the details). The moths went in but
not out. I haven't tried it, not having any apple trees these days.

Then there is planting to provide hosts for predators and parasites of
apple pest insects. Russian peasants used to plant dill and buckwheat in
their orchards for this purpose.

 read in a Canadian entomological journal of a study by scientists in
the northeastern U.S. who found that Ilex verticillata (common
winterberry, a shrub which likes moist or wet soil, can take some
shade), I think I. laevigata (smooth winterberry, greater tolerance to
drier soil) and I. glabra (inkberry, sandy or peaty soil, prefers sun)
were alternate hosts for a predator of apple maggot (apple fruit fly,
related to cherry fruit fly) and their presence was associated with
reduced numbers of apple maggot. I think I. opaca (tree to 50 feet,
moist soil, shade) also worked but I am not sure.

Scientists in California found that wild blackberry provided an
alternate host for a predator of a grape pest (sorry, can't recall the
details offhand).

K. Leius, a Canadian entomologist found in the 1960s that in some
abandoned orchards in Ontario which he studied, a rich orchard floor
flora with many flowering plants was associated with reduced codling
moth infestation.