The codling moth (Cydia pomonella) is a member of the Lepidopteran Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies (called lepidopterans). It is one of the most speciose orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies and found virtually everywhere. Lepidoptera contains more than 180,000 species in 128 family Tortricidae. They are known as an agricultural Agriculture is the production of food and goods through farming. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and stratified societies. The study of agriculture is known as pest, their larva A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle being the common apple The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family and is a perennial. It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans worm or maggot. It is native to Europe and was introduced to North America, where it has become one of the regular pests of apple orchards. It is found almost worldwide. It also attacks pears The pear is a fruit tree of genus Pyrus and also the name of the tree's edible pomaceous fruit. The pear is classified in subtribe Pyrinae within tribe Pyreae and is a perennial. The apple (Malus × domestica), which it resembles in floral structure, is also a member of this subcategory, walnuts Walnuts are plants in the family Juglandaceae. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall (about 30–130 ft), with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long (7–35 in), with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts (Pterocarya), but not the hickories (Carya) in the same family, and other tree fruits.
This larva is the famous "worm in the apple" of cartoon and vernacular fame; it is not related to the earthworm.
The codling moth is greyish with light grey and copper stripes on its wings, and has an average wingspan of 17 mm. The females lay eggs on fruit or leaves and the black-headed yellow larvae attack the fruit immediately upon hatching. Each larva burrows into the fruit, eats for around three weeks, then leaves the fruit to overwinter and pupate elsewhere. Most nourishment is obtained by feeding on the proteinacous seeds.
The Codling Moth is bivoltine in most regions of the USA - in the Pacific Northwest there is a partial third generation.
Adult moth CaterpillarControl
Codling moth infestations are often managed with pesticides A pesticide is any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest. A pesticide may be a chemical substance, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest. Pests include insects, plant pathogens, weeds, molluscs, birds, mammals, fish, nematodes (roundworms),. Successful synthesis of codlemone, the codling moth female sex pheromone blend, has led to behaviorally based monitoring and management. Pheromone A pheromone is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting outside the body of the secreting individual to impact the behavior of the receiving individual. There are alarm pheromones, food trail pheromones, sex pheromones, and many others that traps are used to capture male moths for monitoring and setting biofix, which is the time of first flight for codling moth. Biofix is used with weather data to run degree day Growing degree days are a heuristic tool in phenology. GDD are used by horticulturists and gardeners to predict the date that a flower will bloom or a crop reach maturity models (see below) which predict with excellent accuracy the phenology of the population in the field, thereby allowing growers to time their management actions to target codling moth when they are most susceptible. A kairomone A kairomone is a semiochemical mediating interspecific interactions emitted by an organism(s) that benefits an individual(s) of another species which receives it, without benefitting (often harming - see below) the emitter(s). This "eavesdropping" is often disadvantageous to the producer (though other benefits of producing the substance which is a feeding attractant can be used to capture males and females (DA lure). Mating disruption can be used to effectively manage codling moth populations in many cases. Mating disruption involves the use of a pheromone impregnated release device, typically made of plastic or rubber. Dispensers are distributed throughout the orchard and emit female pheromone at a high, relatively constant rate. The mechanism by which mating disruption affects males is poorly understood, it may increase the time required for males to find females, thus reducing fecundity, or it may simply mask the position of females to searching males, reducing mating substantially. Codling moth is not a great candidate for biological pest control Biological control of pests in agriculture is a method of controlling pests that relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms. It can be an important component of integrated pest management (IPM) programs, as the larvae are well protected within the fruit for the majority of development. However, codling moth eggs are susceptible to biological control Biological control of pests in agriculture is a method of controlling pests that relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms. It can be an important component of integrated pest management (IPM) programs by Trichogramma wasps. The wasps deposit their eggs into codling moth eggs, and the developing wasp larvae consume the moth embryo inside. Another method for control and sampling, 'trunk banding', consists of wrapping a corrugated cardboard strip around the tree trunk. Larvae making their way down the tree to pupate after exiting the infested fruits will use bands as pupation sites. Bands may then be removed and burned.
Recent trials of non-toxic kaolin clay-based sprays indicate that an effective alternative means of codling moth suppression may be on the horizon. Codling moth and other pests find leaves and fruit covered in kaolin clay unfit for laying eggs. Tiny particles of the clay tend to attach to their bodies, disturbing and repelling them. In addition, trees covered in kaolin clay can make them less recognizable as habitat to codling moths. Full coverage of trees is necessary in order to achieve effective suppression. If used only at the beginning of the fruit growing season, kaolin clay often comes off by itself due to wind and rain attrition, leaving fruit clean at harvest time.
The prime difficulty in dealing with codling moth infestations seems to lie with appropriate timing. The method of calculating 'degree-days' is often used by orchardists to approximate when a particular pest will reach a particular stage of development during a given season. Since stages of insect development are triggered by the accumulation of a certain amount of heat over time, this calculation involves careful tracking of changes in daily temperature. In the case of codling moth, adults emerging from pupae in bark and other overwintering spaces will mate and begin laying eggs soon after petal fall. For a given moth, this migration can take place within a mere two to three hours. Effective control using any method therefore depends crucially on identifying when decisive moments such as these occur.
References
- Darby, Gene (1958). What is a Butterfly. Chicago: Benefic Press. p. 43.
External links
- Codling Moth Information Support System (CMISS)
- UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines - Apple Codling Moth
- Biological weapon, viral insecticide by Biotepp inc
Categories: Tortricidae | Agricultural pest insects
Sat, 22 May 2010 05:16:33 GMT+00:00
Sioux City Journal Here in Sioux City we have three primary insect pests, plum curculio, codling moth , and apple maggot. The adult plum cuculio beetle is active laying eggs ...
