Apple pest question

I'm usually answering fruit questions here but I have a question this time. I have an apple pest and I'm not sure what it actually is. The big three pests here are plum curculio, apple maggot, and coddling moth larva. I usually spray for plum curculio to protect my plums and spray the apples too because they get some damage as well. I didn't do that spray this year because none of my plums managed to fruit this year. I don't see that type of damage on the apples this year either. Since they didn't get sprayed yet, I think another pest has taken advantage of the situation. None of the apples are half an inch across yet (the petals only fell 2 weeks ago). Almost every apple has a hole in the side with frass coming out of the hole and a larva inside. (Nothing at all like apple maggot which does its damage a little later in the season.) I'm familiar with coddling moth damage. They eat out the core area of half grown apples and exit near the bottom. Sometimes the apple goes on to ripen and can be used if the core area is taken out. My pest is not like that. It's attacking very small apples and they will obviously fall off soon. Coddling moths don't have an early generation that does this, do they? I really don't think so. Coddling moth damage is usually very light in this area and this is heavy damage. So what is this bug? Any ideas? (I feel like I should know but I don't.)

Steve in the Adirondacks

Reply to
Steve
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We have about 100 apple trees and what you describe sounds like first flight codling moth damage to me. First flight usually happens at the same time as petal fall. A few days later the females start to lay eggs. Eggs hatch in 1 to 2 weeks and the larvae immediately start to bore into fruit, quite often in the calyx but also through the side of the apple. Codling moth larvae leave a lot of frass around the entrance hole. Oriental fruit moth larvae also leave frass but they are more apt to be found on peaches or other stone fruit, with the odd attack on apples. Since you seem have a major infection of your apples, I'd go with codling moth. In years past your spraying must have controlled them.

Ross.

Southern Ontario, Canada. New AgCanada Zone 5b

43º17'15" North 80º13'32" West To email, remove the obvious from my address.
Reply to
RR

Thanks Ross, I'm sure you are right. Everything points to codling moth except I don't usually see the early attack. I usually spray Imidan early for curculio and it must be effective enough on the fist coddling moths as well. Now I know. I'm not far from Ontario. In fact, I keep the car radio tuned to 101.5 from Ottawa. I assume you are southwest of Ottawa, probably near Kitchener? A little milder climate than here.

Steve

Reply to
Steve

Well, another first for me this year:

One of my apple trees seems to have fire blight. There were about a dozen newly grown twigs that had browned and had the tips bent over in the typical fire blight fashion. I've never actually seen it in person before, but I'm quite sure that is what I'm seeing. I was so disgusted I went around and broke off every affected twig by hand and buried them all deep in the compost pile. I may be seeing some slight wilting up higher than I can reach. I'll watch that tree closely and take action if more fire blight is confirmed. I looked closely at my other 3 apple trees and both pear trees. Nothing suspicious on them yet. Unfortunately, the affected tree is up wind from all the others.

Steve

Reply to
Steve

Could you tell me the best way to attack this problem, what with my apples already infested??

Madman

Reply to
Madman

I think most home apple growers just use one of the home orchard sprays that combine insecticide and fungicides. Once the worm is in the apple, nothing is going to stop the damage. If you live north, as I do, and your apples are still small, the ones that are infested will surely drop. If some small apples are still not damaged (this is where I am this year) you may be able to spray and save what remains. If you are farther south and the apples are nearly full size, some will ripen and be edible. Just cut them in half with a knife and then remove the damaged parts before eating. If you want to grow apples without spraying, well, good luck. There aren't very many places where disease and insect damage is so light that growing without spraying is easily achieved.

Steve

Reply to
Steve

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