worms in apples

[Anna]

My brother-in-law picked a couple of his apples and cut them open. They had small white worms with black spots in them. He said he sprayed the trees in the spring. I don't know what he sprayed with or what these little worms are. I don't even know what type of apple trees that he has. I do know that they are young trees, maybe three years old. Is there somewhere to research this? We live in what I think is zone 8. Grants Pass, Oregon 97526. We would be glad for any help.

[sherwindu]

A single spraying in Spring will not do the job. You have to set up a spray schedule like every few weeks from after blossom fall through a week or so before picking. It sound like either apple maggot or codling moth worms. I usually see the end result of this infestation as rotten insides of the apples. For now, clean up all the infected fruit on the tree and on the ground and dispose of it. If there are any clean apples left, you can try spraying with an insecticide. I use a strong chemical called Imidan which you can only get at orchard supply outlets, but something like Sevin might also do some good. Be sure to wear protective gear and breathing devices when spraying.

Sherw> My brother-in-law picked a couple of his apples and cut them open. They had

[Jan Flora]

Those are "coddling moth" worms. (My mom's gardener used to say that he wouldn't eat any apple that wasn't good enough for a worm... What he meant was that he didn't want to eat apples from trees that had been sprayed with poisons.)

Cut the worms out and eat the apples or make applesauce.

You can buy pheremone traps that will catch the moths before they lay the eggs that make the worms. Hang the traps in the trees in the spring.

Tell your BIL to ask at his local nursery for the traps. Or come back and let us know if you need help finding a source for the traps.

Jan

[sherwindu]

Hi Jan, I have tried pherimone traps, sticky ball traps, and you name it traps. They have an effect on the codling moth population, but will not do the job by themselves. You need an insecticide like Imidan to really knock them out. These poisons you call them, decompose in a few weeks in the sun, and washing the apple will insure there are no residues. If you are really fanatic about it, these insecticides do not penetrate the skin of the apple, so if you peel it before eating, there is virtually no possibility of digesting any chemicals. If you have ever opened an apple hit with a codling moth, forget it, they pretty much destroy the inside of the apple.

Sherw> >

[shazzbat]

you call them, decompose in

do not penetrate

no possibility of

Q - What's worse than finding a worm in an apple?

A - Finding half a worm in an apple :-))

Steve