CODLING MOTH: A CULTURAL CONTROL MANAGEMENT OPTION

Codling moth (CM), Cydia pomonella (L), is the key insect pest of pears in California. Control of CM has relied on pheromone mating disruption combined with one or two insecticide applications. A large number of fruit remain in the trees after the final harvest and CM can infest these unharvested fruit. The majority of larvae that complete their development in these unharvested fruit will enter diapause and emerge the following year. If unharvested fruit can be removed and destroyed before CM can complete their larval development and enter diapause, then the diapausing population would be largely eliminated. Studies conducted in 1992 to 1994 on postharvest fruit removal demonstrated that diapausing larvae can be reduced up to 80% compared to unstripped orchards translating to a corresponding decrease in the CM moth flight the following year.