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.

Sherwin D.

Jan Flora wrote:

In article ,
"Anna" wrote:

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.



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

--
The way to a man's heart is between the fourth and the fifth rib.