WEST VIRGINIA APPLE CROP PROFILE

Codling moth external fruit injuryCodling moth, Cydia pomonella (Linnaeus): Codling moth is present throughout the commercial fruit production area, but is maintained at low population levels in many orchards by insecticides applied for the control of other pests. Therefore, specific control measures for this insect are not necessary in many orchards. Unacceptable levels of injury do occur annually in those orchards where codling moth exceeds threshold levels and insecticides are not applied at the appropriate time.

Chemical control: Insecticides for codling moth control are applied in those orchards where the pheromone trap catch exceeds five moths per trap per week. Degree days are accumulated from first trap capture in the spring (biofix) in order to time insecticide applications to coincide with egg hatch of two or three generations per year.

 

 

Amount used

Insecticide

% of acres treated

lb a.i./acre/application

lb a.i./acre/year

Azinphos-methyl

47

0.5 - 0.75

0.5 - 1.50

Methyl parathion

28

0.625 - 0.75

0.625 - 1.50

Mating disruption: Pheromone dispensers are commercially available for installation in orchards to provide codling moth control by preventing mating. This technology has received only very limited use in the east because of cost, and variable control due to the presence of wild hosts and abandoned apple orchards which provide a source of codling moth populations to infest commercial orchards. Since the use of this technology would still require insecticide applications for the control of other pests which occur at the same time as codling moth, mating disruption becomes uneconomical when compared with insecticidal control of all pests.

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