Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Spider mites include:
▪ Brown mite
▪ European red mite
▪ McDaniel mite
▪ Two-spotted spider mite
▪ Yellow spider mite
Moth Pests on Leaves and Fruit
Many moth (lepidopterous) pests attack pome and stone fruit crops, typic-
ally feeding on leaves, fruits, and/or twigs and trunks. Some, such as codling
moth, can cause severe crop loss and require aggressive management.
Codling Moth
Codling moth is one of the most serious fruit tree pests across North Amer-
ica and has limited organic fruit production in many areas. The adults are
brownish-gray moths with a wingspan of about
⁄
4
inch and bronze bands on
3
the wing tips. The juveniles are pinkish-white, worm-like larvae that tunnel
in and around the fruit core. This pest typically produces two generations
per year. Codling moth is the proverbial worm in the apple. Even a small per-
centage of moth-damaged fruit can render a crop unmarketable, and it is
critical to aggressively manage this pest.
Organophosphate pesticides were long the primary means of controlling
codling moth. Today we use pheromone-baited traps to monitor populations
and pheromone-impregnated plastic strips tied in the trees to disrupt mat-
