North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Steve <sdw12986@aol.com>]

That helps some. I do think the eaten part seems to be near the core but not into the core as coddling moths would do. However, I still wonder how they could damage and cause drop to a really high percentage of small apples every year but then never damage another apple the rest of the year. I read that they have 3 or 4 generations. I never see them after the June generation. If my simple spray program was killing 100% of the later generations, how could there always be a big 1st generation the next year?

Steve



dmnorton@royaloakfarmorchard.com wrote:

Steve,

It could be Oriental Fruit Moth that is about half the size of Codling Moth. 
The instars (small larva) look similar, but OFM is smaller.  Their biology 
is based on a GDD Base of 45 instead of 50, which is why they typically 
emerge prior to codling moth.  They cause similar fruit damage as codling 
moth and will enter the fruit from either the calyx end or from the side of 
the apple.  The only difference in their feeding habits is that OFM will 
generally feed on flesh away from the center of the apple, whereas CM goes 
for the seeds in the center.  Your first treatment for OFM would fall at 
about 150-170 GDD after their biofix.  I would think that your first Imidan 
spray should take care of them, but sprays have to be timed.  Sprays to 
control the first generation should be applied about six days after the 
first peak adult emergence.  This would usually coincide with the spray for 
plum curculio, which would be the Imidan spray. Hope this helps!

Dennis Norton
Royal Oak Farm Orchard, Zone 5
http://www.royaloakfarmorchard.com
http://www.theorchardkeeper.blogspot.com
http://www.revivalhymn.com
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve" <sdw12986@aol.com>
To: "NAFEx" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2008 9:48 PM
Subject: [NAFEX] Early apple pest


  

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


    

_______________________________________________