Codling moth control: how to protect a crop from a pest using chemical and folk remedies

Moths - butterflies from the family of leafworms. The greatest damage to gardening and headache by the owner of the trees is caused by apple (Latin Cydia pomonella) and pear (Latin Cydia pyrivora). They can affect the fruits of different cultures, but give preference to those that are reflected in the name. Malicious activity leads to a decrease in the quantity and quality of the crop, so the control of the moth should be started immediately after detecting signs of infection by a pest in the garden.

Insect description

These are butterflies of gray-brown or dark gray color, active after sunset. The magnitude of the wingspan is from 15 to 22 mm. Females lay microscopic eggs (1 mm in diameter) white with a greenish tint (apple codling moth) or red (pear).

At the codling moth, light pink caterpillars with a brown head hatch with dark warts on their trunk, the length of which reaches 1.8 cm; while the pear has white-gray with a yellow head. The last stage of development is a brown pupa from 9 to 12 mm long.

The annual life cycle of a butterfly consists of several stages:

1. In the spring, adults emerge from the pupae. Their years last from May to September.
2. Adult codling moths fly at night, mainly in calm weather. With rain and strong winds, the butterfly hurries to take refuge in the crown of trees or grass.
3. The laying of eggs begins about a week after the flowering of the apple tree. The air temperature should be more than 16 ° C, and the weather should be calm.
4. The caterpillars bite into the fruits, and they close the hole they made with a kind of cork from chewed pulp. Then they rush to the middle, starting to eat seeds. One caterpillar "visits" 2-3 fruits, which, as a result of the activity of a malicious larva, become yellow and fall to the ground.
5. When the caterpillar caterpillar finishes feeding the fruit, it moves to the trunk, hiding in the cracks of the bark. There she will survive the winter, creating a soft cocoon for protection against frost. It can also occur in the ground around a tree.
6. In spring, pupation occurs.

During the year, 1 generation of the pest appears, but under favorable weather conditions, 2 offspring can be born.

Apple moth lives wherever there are apple trees. The pear variety is more thermophilic: it is widespread in the Black Earth region, Ciscaucasia and Transcaucasia, in Ukraine and Moldova.

Harm to gardening

Moth caterpillars gnaw the flesh of apples, pears, plums and other fruits. This causes them to dry out. When a pest draws all the nutritious juices out of them, the fruits fall to the ground. Of course, after that they are not suitable for consumption, so the yield is reduced.

Those caterpillars that did not have time to get to the bark before harvesting remain in the fruit, and when stored they affect others that are nearby.

And when the larvae penetrate the bark, damage forms on its surface, through which other pests, bacteria and fungi can penetrate, which significantly undermines the health of the tree. To avoid all this, you need to take measures to combat the codling moth.

Signs of infection

"Symptoms" of the appearance of the pest on the plantings are:

1. Butterflies begin to fly around the trees as evening falls.
2. Eggs can be found on leaves, and larvae on fruits or trunks.
3. There are small holes on the ovaries and fruits.

If these signs appear, then you need to think about how to deal with the codling moth. Otherwise, all trees in the garden will be affected.

Ways to fight

Protection against the codling moth includes various methods: from prevention to the use of toxic chemicals. Their choice is up to the owner of the garden. Each of the methods has its own important features, advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, the best result can be achieved by combining methods with each other.

The main ways to combat the codling moth:

• traps
• chemical insecticides;
• folk recipes;
• preventative measures.

Starlings, for which butterfly larvae are an attractive food, will also help in the extermination of caterpillar caterpillars. Therefore, it is recommended to make sure that several birdhouses are hung in the garden near the trees. It will be useful to place the feeders, attracting birds to the site.

Traps

Trapping of caterpillars and adults of the moth helps to significantly reduce their numbers and can be used as a protective measure until the pest population has reached large-scale sizes.

There are 3 main types of traps:

1. "The catching belt." It is placed at a height of about 30 cm from the ground, and it is a "skirt" around a tree trunk. Making such a trap for a moth moth with your own hands is quite simple. You will need a strip of any paper, cardboard or fabric. It is wrapped around the trunk, securing with an elastic band or rope. On its surface, folds are made in which the tracks will be collected. Such a trap is established in late May and early June. Change hunting belts every week.
2. Fermented liquid trap attracts adult butterflies. To do this, the drink is poured into a plastic bottle, which is hung near the apple trees and pears. To continue the fermentation process, stir a spoonful of sugar. The adult moths, attracted by the smell, fly into a trap, but cannot get out of it. Devices need to be replaced as they are filled, but not less than once every 3-4 days.
3. Pheromone traps from the moth look like a triangular bird feeder, the inside of the walls of which are smeared with glue for mice. They lure males of the apple variety butterfly. In a primitive design, the bait is impregnated with the liquid form of the pheromone CP-MK. Such traps should be suspended in the upper third of the crown.

The success of using traps with fermented liquid and pheromone in many respects depends on their number and location in the garden: the general "radius of action" should cover the entire territory with fruit trees.

Chemical insecticides

Moth insecticides produce a quick effect. They are used by spraying according to the scheme:

1. The first procedure is necessary immediately after the flowering of the trees, until the ovaries have appeared.
2. Next time you need to spray from the codling moth the garden after 12 days. This is the time when the caterpillars already penetrate the newly formed fruits.
3. Final processing is carried out 10 days after the previous one.

Spraying from the codling moth is carried out in the evening hours, when the sun has already almost set. The air temperature should be more than 18 ° C: at lower results from the use of chemical insecticides will become weaker.

During the processing of trees you need to use personal protective equipment: a respirator and gloves.

List of effective chemicals for codling moth:

1. "Decis Profi" (active ingredient - deltamethrin).This drug is produced in the form of granules, which are diluted in water before use in accordance with the instructions. Decis Profi is an effective contact-intestinal insecticide that is active against many pests, including the pear and apple moth. The tool acts very quickly: a maximum of 3-4 minutes.
2. "Calypso" (the active substance is thiacloprid). Insecticide, available in the form of a concentrated suspension. The advantage of Calypso is safety for bees, as well as resistance to rain and solar radiation. But to get the expected result, you have to wait a month.
3. “Match 050 EU” (active ingredient - lufenuron). The preparation for moth, produced in the form of an emulsion concentrate. Like Calypso, it protects trees for 30 days. It is an insecticide safe for humans.

If the infection has become widespread, then you can’t do without using the listed drugs or similar ones.

Folk remedies

The use of chemicals discourages some gardeners by the fact that toxic substances can accumulate in the fruits during processing. Therefore, if there are very few pests, you can use folk remedies for codling moth. It will also help as a complement to the fight with chemical insecticides, because they are harmless to humans.

For example, you can use:

1. Infusions of garlic, peel from onions, bitter pepper. These plants have a pungent odor, so after processing the caterpillars rush to leave the tree. The infusion time in a sealed container is 1-2 days. The resulting liquid is diluted with water and used as a means for spraying.
2. A similar action is possessed by mustard powder from the moth. It can be bought at grocery stores. To prepare the poison, it will take to prepare the poison, you will need 100 g of powder to pour boiling water in a volume of 10 liters. After a day, the liquid is diluted with the same amount of soap solution (50 g of laundry soap shavings per 10 l).
3. No less effective is the bitter infusion of wormwood (1 kg per 10 l). It is kept for 2 days. Also, wormwood bushes, which in addition to repelling pests have a decorative appearance, can be planted on a site near trees.
4. Needles extract. To prepare it, you need to collect needles of spruce and pine in the amount of 1 liter can. They are put in a bucket, pour 2 liters of warm water and insist tightly closed with a lid for a week. After this period and filtering through a sieve or gauze, the extract is diluted in a concentration of 1: 2.
5. Before budding, the trees are sprayed with a solution of sodium chloride (1 kg per 10 liters of water). This volume is enough for one adult tree, and 2 liters is enough for a young seedling.

Folk remedies, like chemicals, need to be used 3-4 times from early spring.

Autumn work in the garden

The autumn struggle with the moth is also relevant, which helps to prepare the garden for winter so as to create adverse conditions for the pest caterpillars. It is recommended that these measures be given special attention if spring and summer treatments were unsuccessful.

Autumn is necessary:

1. Separate the dead bark particles from the tree and burn them to prevent the pest from settling.
2. Lime tree trunks, trying to penetrate the solution into cracks.
3. Trim all damaged branches.
4. Close up all hollows and cracks.
5. Dig or plow the soil around the trunk. This will help destroy the larvae that may remain there for the winter.

By performing these actions, the number of caterpillars pupating in the spring will decrease significantly.

Preventative measures

Prevention of the codling moth on the site consists primarily in the regular inspection of the crown of trees, especially during the formation of fruits. This will help to start the fight so as to save most of the crop.

Slightly damaged fruits can be used for processing. For example, for making compote or jam.

It is important to keep the trees healthy throughout the garden season. To do this, spring and autumn treatments are performed, removing dead and damaged parts.

The activity of caterpillar caterpillars spoils apples, pears, plums and other fruits. Because of this, the yield is significantly reduced. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to observe the general rules for growing fruit crops, inspect the trees and carry out treatments on time.