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Show 12A Sun Advocate Price, Utah Tuesday May 27, 2003 Springtime brings coddling moths to fruit growers orchards pupate, which takes from Controlling worms in fruit is the objective ot man), but the seven to 30 days, depending on the weather. Then they emerge as adults, they mate and begin a second genera- methods and timing to do so are important. Utah State University Extension horticulturist Jerry Goodspeed offers advice to those who want to control the pesky pests. For years, people have tion of apple eaters. After the second generation, which mimics the first, they drop to the ground and spend the winter as pupa until spring, said Goodspeed. wondered how those worms acquired the skill and strength to climb fruit trees. Goodspeed said. Actually, once there is fruit on the tree, the worms start out as eggs laid near the fruit by a very intelligent mother moth. This whole process starts about three weeks after full bloom. For some time, many homeowners thought they should begin spraying when trees were in bloom to prevent wormy apples. In reality, all this does is kill off the bees that pollinate the blossoms, he said. Since the worms need apples to sur- vive, the astute coddling The coddling moth in its stage as a worm on a fruit leaf moth mothers wait to lay eggs until after the tree has bloomed and fruit has formed on the tree. The female lays her eggs. The eggs hatch in six to 14 days, and, like all young ones, they are hungry. They need a meal now', so they dig into the apple within a couple of hours, he noted. They like to enter the apple at the blos som end, but often resort to any soft place they can find. Then they move to the core where they feed on the seeds. After three to five weeks of doing nothing but eating and sleeping, they grow bored (and stuffed) and decide to mosey on out of the apple and drop to thv ground. Once on the ground, they paaBlIBBBBBBBBlIBBBHBHBBIlBBBBHHHBg When trying to control these worms, timing is everything. The first cover spray is the most important, he noted. If a gardener or homeow ner can control or at least reduce the number of coddling moths in the first generation, it greatly re- duces the next. As mentioned earlier, the eggs begin to hatch and cause damage about three weeks after full bloom. Apply a registered insecticide when putting on the first cover spray, Goodspeed said. Three examples are Imidan, Diazinon and Malathion. The apples need to be protected for about three weeks, so be sure to spray at the proper intervals. For example, Imidan protects for about 18 to 20 days, Diazinon protects seven to 10 days and Malathion protects for three to seven days. Organic sprays are also available, but they only pro-- v ide a limited amount of control, he said. BT products can be used, but must be applied about every three to five days. Insecticidal soaps are also an option, but they must be applied on nearly a daily basis to suffocate the hatching larva. Small apple bags can also be placed over the apples before the coddling moth lays late April to early May. Their rate of development is pre-- . dieted based on tempera-- very time consuming and has blooded and cannot substan- its eggs. However, this is several other drawbacks, Goodspeed noted. I tried it a few years he said. A good can- ago, yon w ind took all those bags, which acted like kites, and blew them and the apples to somewhere past Wendover. The time has arrived in Utah for the first application of insecticides to prevent codling moth larvae from entering apple and pear fruits. The first treatment is the most important because n control good, will reduce the population available to reproduce for the remainder of the season, early-seaso- said Diane Alston, Utah State University Extension entomology specialist. In the spring, the coddling moth population is synchronized as the moths emerge from over wintering sites and the first insecticide application is timed for the percent egg hatch. An insecticide applied at this time will prevent newly hatched larvae -3 (worms) from chewing into the fruit. Accurate timing is Have a feature story idea or news photo suggestion? J determined by monitoring temperatures and first moth activity. Male moths were first caught in pheromone traps hung in representative northern Utah orchards in sa- v- Call the Sun Advocate office today at 637-0732! 1 ture, as insects are cold4 temperature. Registered insecticides; available to homeow ners tha are effective for coddling moth control include phosmet (Imidan), carbary t (Sevin), malathion, spinosad (Success or Entrust), Bacillus thuringiensis (Dipel, Thuricide, Cryntax Bt, Jav-- i elin), kaolin clay (Surround),' permethrin (Astro and others), horticultural mineral oil (suffocates codling moth eggs), and diazinon (if the product is labeled for tree fruit use). Shawn Steffan, Extension Integrated Pest Management (IPM) coordinator sayst commercial growers can also use azinphosmethyl; dimethoate (Guthion), fenpropathrin (Danitol); (Assail),1 acetamiprid methoxyfenozide (Intrepid); and pyriproxifen (Esteem). Additional cultural prac-tices that can help reduce coddling moth populations include sanitation (prompt removal of infested fruit as they drop), trunk banding with corrugated cardboard strips (ribbed side of card- I I board facing trunk) to catch larvae as they pupate on trunks (remove, destroy and replace bands from late June through October as they fill with cocooning larvae), and physical barriers such as! bagging fruit with paper bags, when they reach ll golf-ba- size. See the Utah State ; Univer-- ; sity Extension Integrated Pest Management web site for more information on in-, secticides, including gested sug-- ret-- ! at http extension.usu.eduipm. Over 12 2003 Trailers at Closeout Prices More than 1 used cars & trucks at the guaranteed best prices & quality f 5 inter-- ! vals, and other control ommendations n - tially regulate their ow n body! |