Apple moth - how to deal with it

In nature, there are a large number of insect pests. One of them is apple moth. Many gardeners had to notice the accumulation of caterpillars on apple trees, and maybe even trees shrouded in cobwebs with almost completely eaten foliage. This is a sign that a pest has settled on the apple tree - an apple moth.

Insect features

Apple Moth –– a dangerous fruit pest that belongs to the family of ermine moths. The insect is a small butterfly with an original color. White with a velvety sheen, the moth has two pairs of wings, one of which has black specks. The other pair of wings has an ashen color. The inconspicuous kind of moth not easy to see the first time.

Active action of the apple pest begins with the appearance of the first green leaves, which are the main area of ​​damage to the tree. First, caterpillars emerging from hibernation eat the internal parts of the leaf, leaving their skin intact.

On a note!

In addition to the apple pest in the garden, you can find cabbage, potato and mining moth. All of them also eat leaves and interfere with the normal development of the plant.

With the beginning of flowering apple tree moth caterpillars molt and begin to feed on a leaf, building a web in that place. Having eaten the growing greens around, they move to another site. With a strong infection of the tree with pests, they are able to leave it behind them almost "naked" and entwined with cobwebs. This pastime of apple moth larvae lasts for a month. After that, the apple caterpillars saturated with leaves begin to pupate. They take about two weeks to complete this process.

A month after the flowering of apple trees, butterflies appear. In the bark of a tree, they lay eggs (up to 65 pieces), which are covered with a layer of mucus. A month later, small caterpillars will see the light, which will remain wintering in this state. During the summer season, only one generation of the pest is born.

What is a pest dangerous?

The damage caused by apple moth can be disastrous. Such an insect can destroy entire gardens. Especially dangerous are the larvae of the apple moth, since adult individuals in general do not have a proboscis for food. The result of massive insect attacks that last for 35–40 days is the lack of fruit. This is because damaged inflorescences simply fall off. Affected trees begin to breed only after 2 years, but most apples are damaged caterpillars.

Methods of struggle

There are two ways to get rid of apple moth:

• Chemical;
• Mechanical.

  

A simpler and safer mechanical control method. It consists in the removal and destruction of cobweb nests, as well as leaves with brown spots. This method is effective for minor infection of the tree with caterpillars. But if there are more than two such nurseries on the apple tree, then it is preferable to use special preparations.

The fight against apple moth includes the following activities:

1. All trees must be examined for pests. Having discovered a massive accumulation of apple worms on its leaves, it is necessary to carry out processing.The most optimal option is the use of biological agents: Lepidocide (it is used at the rate of 20 g of the drug per 10 liters of water) or Bitoxibacillin (60-70 g per 10 liters of water).
2. Entobacterin is no less effective (100 g of the drug is dissolved in 10 l of water). The drug is safe for humans, plants and birds, but for the larvae of the apple moth it is harmful.
3. The leaves of the tree should be sprayed in stages: before the buds appear and after flowering, when the caterpillars of the apple moth appear on the leaves.
4. The most difficult procedure is the destruction of eggs. Achieve the effect will help the treatment of affected areas with compounds in which paraffin is present. An example of this is Dimilin, they process trees at least twice a season.
5. You can get rid of caterpillars with excessive absorption of apple leaves with the help of insecticidal preparations: Inta Vir, Fosfamide or Actelik.
6. In case of massive damage to trees by apple moth larvae, the drug Fozalon is used. Processing with this product does not cause chemical burns to the leaves.

   

7. Green spaces can be supported by feeding. Any complex fertilizer is applied under the root immediately after spraying.
8. So that the apple moth does not damage the trees, they can also be sprayed with tobacco infusion or yarrow broth, which is prepared in the ratio of 800 g of the product to 10 liters of water.
9. To reduce the number of apple pests, it is necessary to prune trees, whiten skeletal branches, and also clean the bark on boles before the vegetation begins.
10. You can fight the pest by attracting various birds and beneficial insects.

On a note!

Some amateur gardeners claim that the spider web limits the penetration of the poison to the larvae of the moth. However, this statement is erroneous, since the web protects the caterpillars only from insect predators.

The fight against apple moth will be effective if carried out in a timely manner. At the first signs of the appearance of insects, it is necessary to collect all their nests as soon as possible in order to prevent the spread of the pest.