How to deal with a pear moth

Unlike many garden pests, the pear moth is selective in its diet. She eats exclusively pear seeds. The butterfly itself is not dangerous for the trees. Harvest damage is caused by larvae. Fruits infected with caterpillars fall and rot. Their inner part is filled with excrement of larvae. Pears become unfit for food. To protect your garden from the codling moth, you need to deal with the pest. To achieve maximum efficiency allows a combination of agricultural activities and chemical treatment of trees.

What does a pear moth look like?

A butterfly from the family of leafworms spoils the fruits of cultivated and wild pear varieties. Representatives of the genus Codling moth are known for the fact that their larvae feed on the fruits of deciduous plants. Pear moth or Cydia pyrivora insect with wingspan 17-22 mm. The front wings of the butterfly are gray. The transverse wavy stripes are clearly visible on them. At the top of the wings is a brownish brown spot. It has a silver hue, this is a feature that distinguishes the pear moth from apple. Hind wings are brownish-gray.

In a calm state, butterflies fold their wings with a house. Their long antennae go back. The time of insect activity is from dusk to late night.

The body length of the tracks is 12-16 mm. They are translucent, white. The head is brown. Pupa moth reaches 11-12 mm. She is dark brown, a dense cocoon of the same color.
The pest can be found in the middle and southern parts of Europe, it is perfectly developing in the forest-steppe and steppe zone. The pear moth is common in the Crimea, the Caucasus, and Moldova. It settles wherever cultivated and wild varieties of pears grow.

Insect life cycle

The butterfly years begin in the second or third decade of June. It lasts for a month. In terms of time, the beginning of the appearance of insects falls on 35-40 days after the end of flowering of the early varieties of pear. By this time, the air temperature is set at about +20⁰. The lifespan of butterflies is 10-13 days. Insects at this stage of life do not feed. After departure, insects look for pairs to procreate.

Females lay eggs on the fruits of pears. These pests are monophages, unlike other species of codling moths, they feed only on pears. The butterfly lays round red eggs in the middle of the fruit. The most infected are the fruits growing in the upper part of the crown. This area remains lit longer than the rest. One female can lay 40 to 75 eggs 1 mm in size. For the development of the embryo takes 7-8 days.

After birth, the larvae gnaw through the fetus to get to the seeds. They don’t have to go out of the eggs. The introduction into the seed chamber begins from below. In one pear there can be up to 5 tracks. They eat all the seeds and leave behind excrement. Larvae are always inside the fruit, not moving to neighboring ones. The nutrition period is from three weeks to a month. To exit, the larva gnaws the course in the pulp of the fetus.Caterpillars leave pears in August, in rare cases, remain until September.

Interesting fact. Pear moths have no preference among pear varieties.

After the power is finished, the tracks fall to the ground. Here they are looking for a place for wintering. Most of the pests burrow into the ground to a depth of 5 cm. About a quarter of the caterpillar is able to penetrate deep into the soil by 10 cm. Some hide among the roots of weeds and under fallen leaves. Pests overwinter in cocoons woven from silky fibers.

Information. The pear moth is sensitive to cold, its larvae perish en masse in the cold winter.

Larvae that survived after the cold begin to pupate in May. Mass conversion into pupae begins at a sufficiently high temperature. It begins in late May and early June. This period stretches for 30 days. Pupation takes two to four weeks to mature. The speed of development of the insect is directly dependent on temperature. At + 25⁰ butterflies appear after 15 days, and at +13⁰ - after 45 days. Usually the life cycle of the moth on a pear is 1 year. If warm weather sets early, a second generation of butterflies may appear.

Insect harmfulness

Pear moth is most dangerous for early ripening varieties. By the time of caterpillar hatching, seeds suitable for nutrition appear in them. Their fruits are soft, allowing the larvae to easily penetrate. The pest feeds and develops at the expense of pear seeds. Damaged fruits partially fall off and rot. This leads to lower yields. The remaining pears have wormhole holes, this spoils their presentation.

The most harmful for the gardens are the moths in the forest-steppe zone and the foothills of the Caucasus.

Methods for controlling the pear moth

Complex measures will help protect the crop from spoilage:

• agrotechnical processing;
• spraying trees with pesticides;
• the use of traps;
• processing of infusions and decoctions according to folk recipes.

Method selection pear moth control depends on the stage of development of the pest. Simple but effective means will be various homemade or purchased traps.

Bait Bottles

Moth is attracted by the smell of fermented fruit or alcohol. Kvass, compote or whey are recommended as bait. A plastic bottle with a capacity of 1.5-2 liters is taken for the trap. A hole is cut out at the top. Bait is poured inside. Bottles are hung on a tree. Butterflies are active in the evening, so you need to collect and destroy the caught insects every morning.

Pheromone traps

The action of the trap is based on attracting moths of the moth using a special pheromone. This is an artificial analogue of the natural substance secreted by the female. Inside the paper structure, a bait and a sheet smeared with glue are placed. Reducing the number of males will help reduce the size of the future generation of pests. On one tree hangs 1-2 traps. Place them at the end of pear flowering. The action of pheromone persists for the entire summer period of butterflies. The glue liner is replaced as it is filled.

Hunting belts

To reduce the number of caterpillars descending along the trunk to the ground, hunting belts will help. These are strips of dense fabric on which an adhesive substance is applied. The belt is wrapped around the barrel and secured with wire. It is an effective remedy against all crawling pests.

Agrotechnical events

One of the safe methods for the destruction of pests is to carry out various agricultural activities:

• Autumn plowing, loosening the soil between the rows. In the fall, when digging in, cocoons of caterpillars appear on the surface and freeze.
• Timely collection of carrion, larvae leave the fruit on the first night after falling to the ground. Fruits must be harvested in the evening, not allowing caterpillars to exit.
• Digging around the trunk in summer leads to damage to the larvae.
• During autumn garden work, all leaves and dry weeds must be removed.

Chemical Processing Insecticides

During the mass summer of butterflies, trees can be treated with insecticides. Among the drugs that are effective against the moth, it is worth highlighting: Karbofos, Spark, Agravertin, Clinmix. A specific feature of the pear moth caterpillars is the entire nutrition cycle in one fruit. In order for the chemicals to have the necessary effect, the treatment is carried out before and after the flowering of the tree. Spraying is carried out in the evening, in dry weather.

Agravertine is sprayed immediately before flowering. This is a drug of contact intestinal action. It paralyzes pests several hours after application. Processing is repeated after flowering. Three weeks later, the garden is sprayed with Climix. It is a broad spectrum insecticide. Butterflies lay their eggs on a surface covered with a chemical. Hatching larvae eat the toxin, gnawing a path inside the fetus. No less effective is the drug Iskra. It is sprayed a month after flowering. Universal remedy with a long lasting effect.

Folk remedies

To scare off the pear moth, a decoction of wormwood will help. To prepare it, you will need 1 kg of fresh or 0.6 kg of dry grass. The base is filled with 1 liter of water and boiled for 15 minutes. Before processing, the broth is diluted with water to 10 liters. Pests do not tolerate the smell of tansy, calendula and marigold. From these plants you can make an infusion. It will take 1 kg of grass 1 liter of water. The composition is insisted day, then filtered. Before spraying, dilute with water 1: 5.

Tip. A cloth moistened with birch tar will help scare away the butterflies.

Timely and comprehensive processing of trees will allow you to get rid of the pear moth. Following agrotechnical tips and insecticide treatment is the key to a good harvest.