Apple Maggot and Codling Moth are a pretty big problem in my area. Since I don’t wish to spray, I’ve resorted to bagging my apples. It’s tedious but since my trees are young, I don’t mind doing it… for now. Last growing season I discovered something interesting on several apples that I left unbagged on my multi- grafted tree. They were completely apple maggot and coddling moth free. This was unusual for me because in the past, the apples I left I un-bagged had both pests. Also, there are several neglected apple trees in my neighborhood that are infested with them. The difference with this tree from previous years is that I let raspberries canes, that were spreading, grow along side of the tree. This year I tried it again and left more apples unbagged and encouraged my Tulameen raspberry canes to grow through the tree canopy. So far all, all of fruit have been pest free.
Has anyone else had a similar experience? Is it possible that the scent of raspberry leaves repel the pest?
This is really interesting. My raspberries are about 10 ft from the nearest apple tree and I’m still getting codling moth.
My “success” with apples inspired my neighbor to plant some “zero-spray” apples herself so now mine require weekly spraying to deal with the extra pest pressure.
At this point I’d rather remove my apples than spray them so much but if somebody can confirm your observations I could just replant some raspberries close to the apples.
While I can’t comment on a raspberry prophylactic effect, I have been surprised that (inadvertently missed) unbagged apples hanging next to bagged apples are often unblemished. Perhaps it’s just a random effect, but it has occurred often enough for me to question the need to bag every apple.
I do have a dwarf Karmin de Sonnaville growing within 15 feet of raspberries. The 6’ raspberries are taller than the 5’ tree. If all the apples are unbagged, there are many stings.
No, I have not come across any other info on this specific combination. On a similar note, when I visited Paul Gautschi he shared that the key lies in the soil and tree health. Pests are deterred when both are in good health.
I heard about these simple cheap coddling moth traps this spring… small holes drilled near the top… filled partially with a 50/50 mix of molasses and water.
When I heard about this most of my apples already had small fruits with insect damage already.
All but my Novamac espellar… which is my latest bloomer FG4. It had bloomed but not set fruit yet.
I put 4 of these simple cheap CM traps in it… one on each scafdold branch… and in early August we got several nice clean apples off it.
TNHunter when do you place the trap? The molasses is going to ferment very quickly, so if there’s some attractant in the per-fermented mixture the timing would need to be right.
I’ve trapped quite a lot of coddling moths at the end of this summer in my wasp&hornet traps filled with pre-fermented fruit juice and chunks of over-ripe fruit. They either like or don’t mind the alcohol and bubbles.
I think many fruit eating insects key into ethanol just as much as the other fruit scents, in the natural environment ethanol is basically synonymous with overripe fruit
I would think so.
(And I guess, I should go to sleep, because my brain has just played me a little pixar production of coddling moths having a bit of a pre-procreation party, drinking apple juice federweisser with lots of slurred singing, its high sugar content and CO2 getting them instantaneously drunk, with a nice hangover and the mother-of-all-headaches in the mornig after.)
Regarding bait for Codling Moth traps, I read a comment in Mother Earth News many years ago about using white vinegar, molasses, and water in traps similar to those described above. I think that cider vinegar would be even better.
