Moth Pests & Spray

Last year I was hit pretty hard with oriental fruit moth. I am trying to be a bit more cognizant of the issue going into this year but there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on how to murder these winged devils. I am thinking of picking up Bonide “Fruit tree & Plant Guard” as I also deal with June bugs later in the season.

Has anybody used this to treat their trees? If not, what have you found to be effective?

This was my first year with a yield of peaches. I also have an OFM problem. I sprayed with triazide around every 3 weeks. It probably should have been every two weeks. I am going to try and use surround this year, and maybe supplement with triazide if I think it will help.

I have had good results with mating disruption and Surround. The main problem is its hard to source mating disruption due to various state laws.

I use Triazicide with a sticker. Bonide never worked for me. To me is it a non-starter.

I think that Bonide product should work. However, you need to time your spray well. You can have a great product but spray it at a wrong time, it won’t work.

Read up on when Plum Curculio and Oriental Fruit Moth will emerge and damage fruit in your area will help. These two pests often go hand inhand. Using traps helps you figure the arrival of these pests and timing of your spray.

If you’re budding out, it’s time to start worrying about codling moths. You can generate a graph like this:

image

… which shows you your current cumulative growing degree-days at any location from the following Web page maintained by Oregon State University:

Just select your location from the Google Map widget and click on the CALC/RUN button.

Treatment can begin as early as 275 growing degree-days.

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Mating disruption lure and good bug zapper 25’ away from the tree you protecting. Not 100% cure, but does help. Hang lure directly onto bug zapper. Before I started to use it, I occasionally got a clear peach with the rest bitten. Now I occasionally get it bitten. You need to change lures every four weeks (don’t forget to use after harvest to protect new shoots) and keep them refrigerated to make sure they are fresh.

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You mention a good bug zapper. I have found so much success by getting my bug zapper out early (very early) in the season. Right when it’s warm enough for bugs- I get started. The first few weeks the internal cone is packed full of bugs but if you can eliminate those early generations I think it substancially improves your chances, along with a good spray schedule, of seeing quality fruit.

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I think that some pollinators may be attracted to the zappers too. So timing is important with these. When testing mine out a few years ago, I saw a fried bee in there.
@ConwayOrchard on what schedule do you turn these zappers on and off?

Nocturne beneficial insects can be attracted, that is correct. But I don’t think they are beneficial as pollinators.They are mostly predators. Zappers efficiently work only at dark, so my is on timer - from sunset to sunrise.

The zapper I have has a sensor on it. Once it gets close to dark I see it go on. I guess snagging a bee is possible but I do look at least once a week to clean it and it’s packed full of moths and mosquitos.

I am no bee expert but I thought they were well on their way home by then.

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What model do you have?

Thank you everyone for your input.
CRhode that is an awesome resource for planning out my spray schedule.
Mrsg47 that certainly puts holes in my plan to do the bonide and sticker.

It seems like most are seeing results from the triazide. Or bug zappers. I’m hoping to just target the pests so I’m dubious about the bug zapper. But combined with the hormone attractant it seems like it might be worth the collateral damage. Unfortunately where I’d need it is hundreds of feet from the closest working outlet. I’ll have to think on that one. I’d be happy to lose some mosquitoes in addition to fruit moths and june bugs.

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It may be a long term project - to bring the electricity to your orchard. It may be useful for other things as well, like for frost protection.

There’s an outlet much closer but I have a short somewhere underground. Just one more thing on the to do list. Have to take down a tree first.

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You will lose mosquitoes through process of elimination from Triazicide. I’m just talking about what has worked for me for 12-13 years. Hoping to help, that’s all.

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I would like to hear more of experiences with zappers. I had assumed they were ineffective with not hearing much mention of them on this forum. If they work on PCs or Codling Moth I would give it a try.

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Has anyone tried bats?

Bats for eating insects? Bats also eat fruit, too.

I was thinking Midwestern bats, which are, I believe, insectivores. Is it worthwhile providing shelters just to get control of codling moth?