Source:  NCSU COOPERATIVE EXTENSION, 4/9/20


Trapping Continues
This past weekend CALS administration granted the apple entomology program permission to begin our insect monitoring program in commercial orchards. Of course we will need to follow social distancing and sanitation practices to avoid transmission of the coronavirus. We set up some of our trapping sites today, which will help to improve our insect activity updates and recommendations.

Green Fruitworm
While bloom is a time when the need for apple insect control takes a hiatus, scouting for green fruitworm feeding damage to new shoots should be conducted in a week or so to determine the need for control. The green fruitworm is a generic term that refers to a complex of three lepidopteran species of fruitworms that have comparable life histories and cause similar damage to apple. They are generally considered sporadic pests that do not occur every year. Since foliage feeding damage precedes fruit damage, scouting for damage can help determine the need for insecticidal control.

Description and Life History: There are at least three species of noctuid moths that are commonly referred to as green fruitworm on apple, with the speckled green fruitworm, the widestriped green fruitworm, and the humped green fruitworm being the most commonly encountered. These insects have a wide host range that includes deciduous shade, forest and fruit trees and shrubs. Some species, such as the humped green fruitworm, lay eggs in the late fall and larvae hatch near bloom. Other species emerge as adults in the early spring near green tip and lay eggs on twigs and leaves up to early bloom. Larvae feed on both foliage and fruit, with the damage to fruit occurring any time between early fruit set to first cover.

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