2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
The apple moth (popularly called the apple moth) parasitizes not only the fruits of the apple tree, but also the fruits of peach, cherry, apricot, plum, quince, pear, chestnut, hawthorn and walnut. Damaged fruits, falling from trees ahead of time, thereby reduce the volume of a full-fledged crop. The worms that can often be seen in apples are the larvae of the malignant codling moth. You can contemplate these parasites almost everywhere, with the exception of Antarctica
About the apple moth
Apple moths are gray moths. Their wingspan is 15 - 20 mm. Their eggs are up to 1 mm in diameter, greenish-white; and caterpillars, reaching a length of 18 mm, are light pink in color, with round grayish warts on the body and a small brownish head. Pupae of codling moths are 9-12 cm long, yellowish-brown in color.
Butterflies fly mainly in calm weather at night, for 4-6 weeks. 7 - 10 days after the apple trees bloom, and the air warms up to 16 degrees, in dry, calm weather, these garden pests begin to lay eggs: first on the upper sides of the leaves of apple trees (and on the lower sides of the leaves of pears), and then also to the fruits. The caterpillars hatching from the eggs immediately bite into the fruits, and, having made a kind of plugs from the stubs, close the inlet openings with them. Then they make passages to the seed chambers in the tissues of the fruit and start eating the seeds. During its life, each caterpillar is capable of damaging 2 - 3 fruits; they eventually begin to turn yellow and crumble. Caterpillars that have finished feeding move to tree trunks for subsequent wintering in dense silky cocoons.
Adult caterpillars hibernate even in cracks in the bark, under plant debris, etc. Their pupation occurs in spring, and butterfly years start from early or mid-May and lasts until the very end of August or early September.
How to fight
Among the agrotechnical methods of struggle, one can single out such as: burning of unusable packaging materials and various garbage; cleaning of numerous plant residues; periodic digging of soil to destroy wintering caterpillars; cleaning knots and boles from old bark; scalding apple containers and backing up with boiling water; constant collection of volunteers and removal from the garden; imposition on the middle parts of boles, as well as on the bases of large knots of trapping belts with their further inspection every 10 days and destruction of caterpillars.
Biological methods of control include the use of various biological products, as well as the release of trichograms in gardens.
To attract insects that are natural enemies of the apple moth, all kinds of flowering plants are planted on the site.
In the evenings, some gardeners catch butterflies for apple syrup made from dried fruits: in two liters of water, 100 g of dried apples should be boiled for half an hour, and then yeast and sugar should be added. Once the liquid begins to ferment, it will become attractive to butterflies. Accordingly, the fermented liquid, having poured it into any containers, is placed over the site, and the butterflies, sitting on the foamy surface, quickly find their death.
Chemical methods of control are considered to be the most effective: during the period of egg release and until the introduction of gluttonous caterpillars into the fruits, insecticides are treated. Ditox, Atom, Sirocco, Kinmiks, Sumition, Accord, Karate Zeon, Borey, Vantex and some others are considered to give a good effect.
Pheromone traps
Such traps are placed on the outer sides of tree crowns from the western side, making sure that the sun's rays do not fall on them - such an arrangement makes it possible to observe the development of garden parasites. The height of the placement of traps should be approximately 3 m, since butterflies fly mainly in the upper parts of the crowns. In gardens with a rather large area, traps are set at the rate of 2 hectares - 1 piece, and in smaller gardens - 2 traps are set for 100 square meters. Once a week, all installed traps should be reviewed: by opening them from the end, the caught butterflies are removed from the glue with the tip of a knife or a spatula, paying attention to their number. Inserts in traps that are densely covered with insects or very dirty are replaced with new ones. If more than five males have been trapped in one week, it is advisable to start spraying with insecticides. It is very important to have time to do this while the caterpillars are relatively young and have not started to be introduced into the fruit. However, good results from the use of pheromone traps can only be expected by using them for several years in a row.
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