Organic Gardening Info from Peaceful Valley

Codling Moths produce several generations in a season. They start laying their eggs in the Winter, and overwinter, or wait out the cold weather. The moths lay their eggs on the buds of the trees, so that the first generation of apples or pears form around the Codling Moth eggs. The result is that the inside of the apple becomes brown and soggy.

Subsequent generations of Codling Moths, like those we have here in the Sierra Foothills, will have 3 or 4 generations in a season. Their eggs will hatch in the debris around the tree, and the larvae will climb up the tree and into the fruit. It’s a big problem for growers.

One way to protect fruit from subsequent generations of Codling Moths is to use Maggot Barriers. They are a very simple and effective way to protect your fruit. By wrapping apples and pears in fine nylon mesh they simply block pests from digging in.

Pheremone lures and traps can be used for both monitoring and as pest control. A farmer can put one or two lures per acre, and see how many moths are trapped in order to monitor the population. In this way, the farmer can time sprays and plan ahead.

As traps, the farmer or home gardener will typically put one or two traps per tree. Adult Codling Moths are attracted to the pheromone lures, and get stuck to the trap’s sticky inner surface.

Now is a good time to prepare for Codling Moths. Stock up now while the trees are blooming!

Dormant spraying is a very important action to take in preventing damage by insect pests, fungus, and disease. Codling moth, for example, is a common pest of apples and pears, and Peach Leaf Curl is a common disease of peaches and nectarines in California. Applying Horticultural Oil and Fungicide/Bactericide three times during the dormant season will greatly reduce the chance of infestation.

You can use the following guidelines and holidays as a reminder for spraying:
The first spray should be just after most of the leaves have dropped (Thanksgiving), the second at full dormancy (New Year), the third at bud swell (Valentine’s Day). The holidays generally correspond with the life cycle of deciduous plants, but always use your own observation to decide when to spray. It is also wise to research the specific species of fruit or nut for particular needs and precautions in regards to dormant spraying.

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