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  • From: Steve <sdw12986@aol.com>
  • To: NAFEx <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Early apple pest
  • Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:48:04 -0400


I've been wondering for years what this pest actually is. Even though they infest 25 to 40% of the young apples every year, they tend to not affect the final crop because the infested apples fall off when they are small and I do any thinning after that.
It behaves much like coddling moth in that it tunnels in, eats and area near the center of the small fruit, then exits out the side. I could almost believe it IS the first generation of coddling moth except for the following questions:

If it's coddling moth, why does it attack apples that are barely bigger than a pea, right after petal fall? I find the larvae inside and they are always small. Far smaller than any coddling moth larva I ever found in a mature apple. Petal fall was only 2 to 3 weeks ago here and already, I'm not finding any larvae in the small apples, only the exit tunnel.

If it's coddling moth, why do I never find them in mature apples? I can't remember the last time I picked a ripe apple and found coddling moth damage inside. It's been so long, I'm not sure right now if I EVER had them here in this yard. (I remember them very well from when I was younger and living in central Ohio.) My entire spray program for apples consists of two sprays of Imidan, starting soon after petal fall, then 2 (sometimes 3 depending on the weather) sprays of Sevin when I start seeing apple maggot flies on my sticky apple traps. With that very simple spray schedule, my apples have been 100% free of insect damage for the last 3 years. I would find it hard to believe that Imidan is completely ineffective on a pest but Sevin is 100% successful at stopping the next generation.

So, if it's not coddling moth, then what is it? More information: The entry holes are usually right at the point where 2 small apples touch each other or where an apple touches a leaf. The frass that comes out of the exit hole is dark brown but it stains my fingers orange when I break open the apple to see if there is still a larva inside. The biggest apple I ever find with an exit hole is about the size of a nickel. Most drop before reaching that size.

Steve in the Adirondacks of northern NY




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