worms in apples
 

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.

A single spraying in Spring will not do the job. You have to set up a spray schedule
like every few weeks from after blossom fall through a week or so before picking.
It sound like either apple maggot or codling moth worms. I usually see the end result
of this infestation as rotten insides of the apples. For now, clean up all the infected
fruit on the tree and on the ground and dispose of it. If there are any clean apples left, you can
try spraying with an insecticide. I use a strong chemical called Imidan
which you can only get at orchard supply outlets, but something like Sevin might also
do some good. Be sure to wear protective gear and breathing devices when spraying.

Sherwin D.

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.

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.

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.

"sherwindu" wrote in message
...
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.


Q - What's worse than finding a worm in an apple?




A - Finding half a worm in an apple :-))

Steve