Source: NCSU COOPERATIVE EXTENSION, 4/21/20


Cool Weather Suppresses Insect Activity

With phenological stages ranging from petal fall to first cover throughout the region, insects of key concern remain the same as those discussed in last week’s update – plum curculio and oriental fruit moth for those at petal fall, and codling moth will become more important for those approaching first cover. However, the cool weather during the past week has suppressed activity of OFM and codling moth. These moth pests are most active in the first few hours after dusk, but only when temperatures exceed 62 to 65°F. With the cool temperatures during the past week, pheromone trap captures declined considerably this week compared to last week. With cool temperatures forecast for the next week, expect pheromone trap captures to remain low.

In contrast to moth pests, plum curculio is active during daylight hours when temperatures exceed 60°. Considering that daytime temperatures have often exceeded 60° in the past week (albeit, for only a few hours), the potential for damage still exists with this pest, although there is likely to be less damage than when temperatures exceed 70°.

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