I'm usually answering fruit questions here but I have a question this time.
I have an apple pest and I'm not sure what it actually is. The big three
pests here are plum curculio, apple maggot, and coddling moth larva.
I usually spray for plum curculio to protect my plums and spray the
apples too because they get some damage as well. I didn't do that spray
this year because none of my plums managed to fruit this year. I don't
see that type of damage on the apples this year either.
Since they didn't get sprayed yet, I think another pest has taken
advantage of the situation. None of the apples are half an inch across
yet (the petals only fell 2 weeks ago). Almost every apple has a hole in
the side with frass coming out of the hole and a larva inside. (Nothing
at all like apple maggot which does its damage a little later in the
season.)
I'm familiar with coddling moth damage. They eat out the core area of
half grown apples and exit near the bottom. Sometimes the apple goes on
to ripen and can be used if the core area is taken out. My pest is not
like that. It's attacking very small apples and they will obviously fall
off soon. Coddling moths don't have an early generation that does this,
do they? I really don't think so. Coddling moth damage is usually very
light in this area and this is heavy damage.
So what is this bug? Any ideas? (I feel like I should know but I don't.)

Steve in the Adirondacks

Steve wrote:

I'm usually answering fruit questions here but I have a question this time.
I have an apple pest and I'm not sure what it actually is. The big three
pests here are plum curculio, apple maggot, and coddling moth larva.
I usually spray for plum curculio to protect my plums and spray the
apples too because they get some damage as well. I didn't do that spray
this year because none of my plums managed to fruit this year. I don't
see that type of damage on the apples this year either.
Since they didn't get sprayed yet, I think another pest has taken
advantage of the situation. None of the apples are half an inch across
yet (the petals only fell 2 weeks ago). Almost every apple has a hole in
the side with frass coming out of the hole and a larva inside. (Nothing
at all like apple maggot which does its damage a little later in the
season.)
I'm familiar with coddling moth damage. They eat out the core area of
half grown apples and exit near the bottom. Sometimes the apple goes on
to ripen and can be used if the core area is taken out. My pest is not
like that. It's attacking very small apples and they will obviously fall
off soon. Coddling moths don't have an early generation that does this,
do they? I really don't think so. Coddling moth damage is usually very
light in this area and this is heavy damage.
So what is this bug? Any ideas? (I feel like I should know but I don't.)

Steve in the Adirondacks

We have about 100 apple trees and what you describe sounds like first
flight codling moth damage to me. First flight usually happens at the
same time as petal fall. A few days later the females start to lay
eggs. Eggs hatch in 1 to 2 weeks and the larvae immediately start to
bore into fruit, quite often in the calyx but also through the side of
the apple. Codling moth larvae leave a lot of frass around the
entrance hole.
Oriental fruit moth larvae also leave frass but they are more apt to
be found on peaches or other stone fruit, with the odd attack on
apples.
Since you seem have a major infection of your apples, I'd go with
codling moth. In years past your spraying must have controlled them.

Ross.

Southern Ontario, Canada.
New AgCanada Zone 5b
43º17'15" North
80º13'32" West
To email, remove the obvious from my address.

RR wrote:
Steve wrote:


I'm usually answering fruit questions here but I have a question this time.
I have an apple pest and I'm not sure what it actually is. The big three
pests here are plum curculio, apple maggot, and coddling moth larva.
I usually spray for plum curculio to protect my plums and spray the
apples too because they get some damage as well. I didn't do that spray
this year because none of my plums managed to fruit this year. I don't
see that type of damage on the apples this year either.
Since they didn't get sprayed yet, I think another pest has taken
advantage of the situation. None of the apples are half an inch across
yet (the petals only fell 2 weeks ago). Almost every apple has a hole in
the side with frass coming out of the hole and a larva inside. (Nothing
at all like apple maggot which does its damage a little later in the
season.)
I'm familiar with coddling moth damage. They eat out the core area of
half grown apples and exit near the bottom. Sometimes the apple goes on
to ripen and can be used if the core area is taken out. My pest is not
like that. It's attacking very small apples and they will obviously fall
off soon. Coddling moths don't have an early generation that does this,
do they? I really don't think so. Coddling moth damage is usually very
light in this area and this is heavy damage.
So what is this bug? Any ideas? (I feel like I should know but I don't.)

Steve in the Adirondacks


We have about 100 apple trees and what you describe sounds like first
flight codling moth damage to me. First flight usually happens at the
same time as petal fall. A few days later the females start to lay
eggs. Eggs hatch in 1 to 2 weeks and the larvae immediately start to
bore into fruit, quite often in the calyx but also through the side of
the apple. Codling moth larvae leave a lot of frass around the
entrance hole.
Oriental fruit moth larvae also leave frass but they are more apt to
be found on peaches or other stone fruit, with the odd attack on
apples.
Since you seem have a major infection of your apples, I'd go with
codling moth. In years past your spraying must have controlled them.

Ross.

Southern Ontario, Canada.
New AgCanada Zone 5b
43º17'15" North
80º13'32" West
To email, remove the obvious from my address.

Thanks Ross, I'm sure you are right. Everything points to codling moth
except I don't usually see the early attack. I usually spray Imidan
early for curculio and it must be effective enough on the fist coddling
moths as well. Now I know.
I'm not far from Ontario. In fact, I keep the car radio tuned to 101.5
from Ottawa. I assume you are southwest of Ottawa, probably near
Kitchener? A little milder climate than here.

Steve

Well, another first for me this year:

One of my apple trees seems to have fire blight. There were about a
dozen newly grown twigs that had browned and had the tips bent over in
the typical fire blight fashion. I've never actually seen it in person
before, but I'm quite sure that is what I'm seeing.
I was so disgusted I went around and broke off every affected twig by
hand and buried them all deep in the compost pile. I may be seeing some
slight wilting up higher than I can reach. I'll watch that tree closely
and take action if more fire blight is confirmed.
I looked closely at my other 3 apple trees and both pear trees. Nothing
suspicious on them yet. Unfortunately, the affected tree is up wind from
all the others.

Steve

Steve wrote:
Everything points to codling moth


Could you tell me the best way to attack this problem, what with my
apples already infested??

Madman

Madman wrote:

Steve wrote:

Everything points to codling moth



Could you tell me the best way to attack this problem, what with my
apples already infested??

Madman

I think most home apple growers just use one of the home orchard sprays
that combine insecticide and fungicides. Once the worm is in the
apple, nothing is going to stop the damage.
If you live north, as I do, and your apples are still small, the ones
that are infested will surely drop. If some small apples are still not
damaged (this is where I am this year) you may be able to spray and save
what remains.
If you are farther south and the apples are nearly full size, some will
ripen and be edible. Just cut them in half with a knife and then remove
the damaged parts before eating.
If you want to grow apples without spraying, well, good luck. There
aren't very many places where disease and insect damage is so light that
growing without spraying is easily achieved.

Steve