Eastern codling moth: how to recognize and how to protect yourself from the pest. The codling moth is the most dangerous crop pest

The eastern codling moth poses a huge threat to fruit trees; these pests are capable of completely destroying the crop.

Eastern codling moths are dangerous due to their high fertility and ability to spread quickly. These pests belong to the leaf roller family.

Appearance of the eastern codling moth

The eastern codling moth, also called the peach moth, is small in size - its wingspan is approximately 15 millimeters. The front wings of the butterfly are gray-brown in color, and they are dotted with pearlescent strokes. The hind wings are light brown. Both pairs of wings have a grayish-white fringe along the edges.

Males and females differ only in size - females are longer.

Habitat of the peach moth

The oriental codling moth is native to Japan, Korea and China, hence the name. But today these harmful butterflies are found in the southern regions of almost all continents. These pests have spread throughout the world along with transported seedlings, fruits and cuttings. The only place they don't live is in Antarctica.

Lifestyle of the eastern codling moth

The peach moth is a crepuscular butterfly. Butterflies are active in the evenings and early morning hours.

Females are able to fly a distance not exceeding 50 meters, and males, looking for partners, fly about 300 meters.

Reproduction of eastern codling moths

The flight of peach moths begins when fruit trees bloom. The female mates and lays about 100-200 eggs. Originally eggs white, but as they ripen they turn pinkish. The female lays one egg at a time on the young leaves of peach, plum, cherry, sweet cherry, apple, quince, pear and almond.

After about 4-10 days, the eggs hatch into eastern moth larvae. They have white bodies with black heads. The larvae molt 5 times and during development grow up to 13 centimeters in length. The color of older caterpillars becomes pinkish, and the chest shield and head become brown.

The caterpillars of these pests eat the shoots and fruits of fruit trees. The caterpillars develop within 10-24 days, it all depends on the type of tree on which they feed. The caterpillars then develop into pupae inside shoots, under leaves or on fruits. And after about 12 days, young butterflies emerge from them.

The development cycle of the eastern codling moth lasts 24-40 days. In one season, 6 generations of codling moths can form.

For gardeners and peach growers, the oriental codling moth is a real disaster; it destroys the entire crop.

Last generation The larvae burrow into the soil and go to winter. They can also overwinter under the bark of trees or in fallen leaves.

Damage caused by the peach moth

The eastern codling moth is one of the worst pests fruit trees. The first generation larvae grow in young shoots, and they gnaw holes in them that reach a length of 15 centimeters. Damaged branches crack and wither over time. If there are a lot of caterpillars, the tree weakens and begins to hurt.

When the fruits ripen, the caterpillars begin to eat their juicy pulp. One fruit can destroy several caterpillars at the same time. The favorite delicacy of oriental codling moths is peach, quince and pear. In addition, it damages plums, cherries, almonds, apples, apricots and medlars.

Damages almost all fruit species, but prefers peach, quince, and pear. It is subject to external and internal quarantine.
The butterfly's wingspan is 11-15 mm, males are slightly smaller than females; the forewings are dark gray-brown, on the leading edge of the wing there are seven pairs of whitish strokes, the apex of the wing is bordered by a thin velvety black line, in the middle inner edge wings - two pairs of whitish oblique broken lines. The hind wings are lighter than the front wings, brownish-gray with a rainbow tint, their fringe is longer than that of the front wings, light brown with a silvery tint.

The last instar caterpillars overwinter in a dense cocoon on trunks under dead bark, in cracks in the bark, in the forks of skeletal branches, under fallen leaves in the trunk circle, in the top layer of soil, in containers for transporting and storing fruits.

Pupate in early spring. The butterfly season begins during the flowering of stone fruits. Butterflies are active during twilight hours and at sunrise when the air temperature is not lower than 15-16°C. Immediately after flight and mating, females begin laying eggs. Place the eggs one at a time on the smooth surface of the leaves at the tops of young shoots. On peach, apricot, cherry they place them on the underside of the leaves; on quince, pear, apple tree - on the upper side. They lay eggs both on the smooth bark of young shoots and on the hairless surface of the fruit. The lifespan of butterflies is 4-15 days, fertility is 28-100 eggs or more. Flight and egg laying continue for over a month.
The egg is oval, 0.5-0.9 mm in diameter, flattened, freshly laid - white, later acquiring an orange tint. Embryonic development in spring lasts 6-12 days, in summer generations - 3-6 days.

The hatched caterpillars penetrate into young shoots through the upper buds and gnaw through them from the top down to the lignified tissue (usually 6-8 cm), then gnaw a round hole and move on to other shoots. Entry sites for caterpillars are often marked by gum droplets and excrement. Damaged shoots wither and dry out, sometimes cracking along the length of the stroke.

Caterpillars of the second and subsequent generations damage shoots and fruits from the moment the ovaries form. When fruits are damaged, the caterpillars feed on pulp, seeds, and sometimes penetrate inside the peach seeds that have not yet hardened. The cavities are filled with excrement. The caterpillar molts 5 times, in the first to third instars it is white with a black head, in the fourth to sixth it acquires an intense pink color, the head and chest shield are brown. Several caterpillars can feed on one fruit. In the fruits of stone fruits, caterpillars develop in 10-12 days, in apple and quince fruits - 16-24 days. Having finished feeding, the caterpillars crawl away to pupate mainly within the tree crown, sometimes pupating in shoots and even in fruits. Depending on the weather conditions The duration of generation development ranges from 23 to 40 days or more.

IN climatic conditions In the south, the eastern codling moth develops during the growing season in four generations, overlapping one another. Therefore, during the growing season, all stages of pest development can be simultaneously detected. Harmfulness of codling moths:
Apple, plum and oriental codling moths -. Their caterpillars damage the fruits of all fruit crops, and the caterpillars of the eastern codling moth also damage young shoots. An exception is the pear codling moth () - the nutrition and development of its caterpillars takes place in pear fruits.

For codling moth caterpillars, fruits are a pantry and a reliable shelter, where they are located from birth to full development. By feeding on the pulp and seeds of fruits, they disrupt their normal development. The caterpillars of the plum moth, in addition, interrupt the supply of nutrients to the fruits by gnawing on them vascular system. Fruits damaged by caterpillars rot and fall off, reducing the yield. Damage to fruits in more late dates spoils their commercial qualities, they become unsuitable for sale and, as a rule, are rejected during commodity sorting.

Control measures:

• Cleaning dead bark on trunks and main branches. Most caterpillars and the eastern moth overwinter in cracks and under loose bark.
• Autumn plowing of row spacing and digging of tree trunk circles, which reduce the number of wintering caterpillars of pear, plum and eastern codling moths. Loosening between rows and tree trunks in spring and summer period pupation has a detrimental effect on the caterpillars of the pear moth and partially on the plum and oriental moths.
• Release of codling moths by butterflies at the beginning and during the period of mass oviposition.
• Using pheromone traps in the garden. This technique serves, first of all, to determine the timing of chemical treatments and the feasibility of their implementation. Application even large quantity, based on the maximum catch of male codling moths, turned out to be an unreliable technique.
• Regular pruning of shoots on peach, apricot, quince damaged by the caterpillars of the eastern codling moth, which reduces the number of the pest;
• Anticipated Application. Treatments against apple, plum, and oriental codling moths are aimed at destroying hatched caterpillars before they penetrate the fruits. In the development zone of one generation of apple and other codling moths, you can limit yourself to one spraying and only if the number is high, repeated treatment is advisable. Protection of the crop from damage by second-generation caterpillars is ensured by one or two chemical treatments. Against the pear codling moth, given that its caterpillars do not move into other fruits during development, insecticide treatment should be carried out at the beginning of the summer of the pest butterflies and the period should be calculated so that mass egg laying takes place on the surface covered with the insecticide. In the fight against the eastern codling moth, chemical treatments are carried out against each generation. If it develops massively and caterpillars are found in shoots at the end of summer, spraying with insecticides is carried out even after harvesting.
• Applying trapping belts made of burlap, corrugated paper or other material to trunks to catch codling moth caterpillars leaving fallen fruit to continue feeding or pupating.
• Systematic collection of carrion. Caterpillars usually leave fallen fruits on the first night or a day later, so you should collect carrion in the evening, without leaving it overnight. If the carrion cannot be used, then it must be buried in the ground to a depth of at least 50 cm.

Pest type: Pests of fruit crops

Row: Lepidoptera - Lepidoptera

Family: leaf rollers - Tortricidae

Homeland is East Asia, from where it was introduced to the USA and then to Southern Europe. Now it is a serious pest in the western, southern and central regions of Russia. Damages shoots and fruits of apple, pear, apricot, plum, quince, medlar, shoots of hawthorn, cherry, sweet cherry, almond, cherry laurel.

A butterfly with a wingspan of 11-15 mm; general coloration is brownish-gray; inside the inner edge of the wing there are two pairs of whitish oblique broken lines in the form of a band; the mirror is weakly expressed; a thin black velvet line runs along the top of the wing; the hind wings are lighter than the front wings, gray-brown with an iridescent sheen; The fringe is light brown with a silver tint. The egg is 0.6-0.8 mm in size, at first whitish, later light orange, oval, flattened. The caterpillar of the first age is milky white, the second - yellow-white, the third - white-gray, the fourth and fifth centuries - red, the head is brown, the chest shield is yellow. The pupa is 5.3-7.7 mm, brown, with two rows of spines on the abdominal segments, at the end of the abdomen there are 10-18 transactions of varying lengths. Before the butterfly flies, the pupa becomes black in color.

Caterpillars that have completed their development overwinter in a dense silky cocoon in plant debris within the radius of tree trunk circles, in bark cracks, soil, mummified fruits, containers and other shelters. They pupate at an average daily temperature of 9-10 °C during the budding period of peach and quince (mid-March). In the third ten days of April, at the end of the peach blossom, the flight of butterflies begins.

The lifespan of butterflies in summer is 7 days, in autumn - 20-25 days. On days 3-6 after emergence, females begin laying eggs one at a time on the underside of leaves, on the top and bark of young shoots, bud scales, sepals and the hairless surface of fruits. Fertility - 100-120 eggs.

The duration of embryonic development is 6-12 days in spring, 3-6 days in summer and 5-16 days in autumn. The caterpillars penetrate young shoots to the growth point, and on apple and quince trees they mine the leaf blade, moving from the top to the base. When the caterpillars reach the woody tissue, they gnaw out a round exit hole and move on to another shoot.

Damaged shoots wither, curl and dry out or crack along the path. The caterpillar gnaws cavities in the fruits, filling them with excrement. Damages both pulp and seeds. One shoot can feed on up to four caterpillars, and on fruits – up to several dozen caterpillars. The duration of caterpillar feeding is 12-22 days. Leaving behind a damaged shoot or fruit, the caterpillar forms a cocoon in the shelter and pupates. Sometimes they do this in damaged shoots and fruits. The critical light threshold for the eastern codling moth is 13 hours. In the south of Russia it develops in four generations, which overlap each other. The caterpillars and pupae of the eastern codling moth are infested by more than 30 species of moths: from the family of ichneumonids; from the braconid family.

The eastern insect moth (family Moth) is a dangerous quarantine pest with a limited distribution in Russia. Its source of origin is East Asia, from where it spread to other continents and countries. On this moment The spread of the codling moth has been recorded in 44 countries.

The oriental codling moth damages the shoots and fruits of peach, apricot, apple, nectarine, plum, quince, pear, cherry, cherry laurel, quince and almond. Their damage can reach from 40 to 90%.

The butterfly of this insect has an ash-gray color with slightly blurry light strokes. Its body is small and reaches 11 mm, and its wingspan varies from 12 to 14 mm. The main shade is creamy white, the back and sides are light pinkish-orange. The abdomen and underside of the butterfly's wings are covered with dull silver scales. The hind wings have fringed pubescence.

The caterpillar overwinters in a dense cocoon in:

• dried fruits;
• bark cracks;
• skeletal branches;
• budding;
• plant residues;
• soil layer up to 3 cm.

Pupation of caterpillars occurs in the spring at temperatures from plus 8 to 10 degrees Celsius, and emergence of adults at plus 12-14 degrees Celsius. Females begin laying eggs 3-5 days after emergence, and after 4-8 days the spring caterpillars hatch, bite into the shoot and make a passage from top to bottom from 1.5 to 15 cm. First, the shoot withers and then dries out. At the end of June, when the ovaries appear, the caterpillars begin to feed on the fruits.

The eastern codling moth is imported as a result of its transportation at the pre-imaginal stage with fruits, planting material, containers and various types transport.

Maliciousness

The eastern codling moth is one of the most dangerous pests of fruit crops, which can damage fruits of various species, preferring quince, pear and peach. In addition, it can harm cherries, plums, almonds, apples and apricots. The Eastern codling moth damages up to 90% of peach shoots and fruits, and up to 50% of pear fruits in Europe. The pest destroys up to 50% of pears in China, up to 100% of peaches and up to 70% of quinces and pears in Transcaucasia. Much less damage is caused to plums, apricots and apple trees.

During the process of damage by caterpillars, the young upper leaves of the shoots begin to wither, after which the shoot itself dries out. The harmfulness of the eastern codling moth is explained by the high rate of reproduction, polyphagy and the absence of entomophages, which are ways to control its numbers.

Detection and identification

The eastern codling moth is capable of making passages from 7 to 15 cm long in shoots. For example, on a peach, gum is secreted at the points where the pest enters the fruit. Under the skin of apple and pear trees, as a rule, the passages made by caterpillars are visible to the naked eye. They do not gnaw out chambers inside fruits and practically do not feed on seeds.

Inspection of plantings using pheromone traps is the most the best way to detect the pest. They must be hung at a height of 1.5-2 meters in the crown of trees at the rate of 1 trap per 5 hectares of plantings. Adults are sampled from traps every 7-10 days, and dispensers are replaced every 45 days.

Quarantine and control measures

The eastern codling moth is included in the list of quarantine insect species. To prevent the introduction of this pest into the pest-free zone, quarantine restrictions were introduced. In Russia, the transportation of fruits, cuttings, and seedlings infested with VP is prohibited. If detected, the products are subject to disinfection. In addition, points and terms for the import into areas of sale of fruits with a possible colonization of the eastern codling moth are provided.

In the areas where these pests spread, a complex of chemical, agrotechnical and non-traditional (pheromones) control methods is used. They are aimed at curbing the number and further spread of the eastern codling moth.

• To destroy the pupae in a timely manner, you need to clear the trunks of dead bark and remove fallen leaves. To prevent the caterpillars from crawling onto healthy shoots, it is necessary to get rid of the affected areas of trees and worm carrion.
• Hang hunting belts and release Trichogramma during egg laying.

It is necessary to disorient the insects and hang cardboard traps from the eastern codling moth on the trees with non-drying glue and a pheromone evaporator. Acenol-B will help you with this - a drug intended for use on all fruit crops in order to identify and determine the boundaries of the spread of this pest.