In this section:
Oriental Fruit Moth
Cydia molesta
Affected
Mainly peaches and nectarines, sometimes apricots.
Description
Young larvae are 3-5 mm long growing up to 12 mm long. They are cream to pale pink in colour and have a light brown head. The grey coloured moths are rarely seen during the daytime.
When and where to look
Infestation can occur any time from late September till the end of the season. Wilting lateral tips are the first sign of infestation. Splitting shoots in half will reveal a tunnel following the centre of the shoot. When fruit are infested, the larvae normally enters near the stem and burrows into the stone leaving a trail of brown excrement. Fruit often gums at the point of entry.
Damage
Larvae enter the tip of young succulent shoots and tunnel their way down the centre of the shoot, killing it. This damage is not important, except on young trees where it may interfere with the development of tree shape. Larvae does infest green fruit, but more commonly ripening fruit, particularly during moist weather. Fruit infestation often leads to fruit rots.
Control
Oriental fruit moth can be controlled by using pheromone ties. The slow release of pheromone into the orchard disrupts mating of the moths, thus reducing the number of fertile eggs produced. In peach and nectarine orchards, four ties should be placed on each tree by the first week in September. The ties need to be replaced in December.
The orchard should be monitored as moths with fertile eggs can fly in from adjacent untreated orchards. In most cases chemical control is not justified by the number of moths that fly in from elsewhere.
