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A dangerous pest that can significantly reduce the amount of crop in the garden is caterpillars on an apple tree. The codling moth is just such a pest, and in order to get rid of it, there are some ways and methods. This type of caterpillar is found everywhere where apples are grown. Read on to learn how to rid an apple tree of these pests.
Methods of dealing with codling moth
Active control measures include insecticides against codling moth caterpillars. They are applied during the period of their release from the eggs and before entering the fetus. There can be many preparations of this type, and all of them are effective to one degree or another, and can help get rid of insects. In summer, the use of pyrethroid drugs should be limited.
At high temperatures, their effectiveness decreases, and frequent or active use can cause ticks. It is best to process apple trees during the period of mass distribution of caterpillars, 8-10 days after their appearance. Growth regulators can be very effective. Another category of drugs – biological and viral, also proved to be good. The terms of application are the same as in the previous case. Codling moth butterflies fly into the light, so it is possible to use electric lamps as traps.
A container with diesel fuel is placed under the light bulb, or sticky paper is placed. Such a lamp also attracts other butterflies, which also belong to pests. Another way is an infusion of wormwood, which is harvested from the moment of flowering. It is dried and stored in a dry place, and the infusion is prepared in such a way that the crushed plants are poured with water and infused for the first day, and boiled for thirty minutes on the second. Then the infusion is cooled and filtered, diluted with water.
Among the useful recommendations for the fight against codling moth, the use of an insecticide and biological agents is distinguished.
At the first application, any drug is first applied to only one plant. If his condition does not worsen by the end of the day, then it will be possible to use the drug on all other plants. The drugs alternate, thus obtaining the best efficiency from them. Crop protection products can be dangerous, so be sure to read the instructions on the label thoroughly.
It is necessary to process in accordance with safety rules. The wingspan of a butterfly reaches 17-22 millimeters. The dark gray forewings are distinct from the hindwings, which are light brown. The coloration allows the insect to camouflage itself and is difficult to distinguish from the coloration of the tree’s bark.
Caterpillars enter the fruits through the petiole, through the peel, leaving behind a black mark, under the leaf and at the junction of two adjacent growing fruits. The oldest caterpillars are able to get from fruit to fruit, and if it falls, then the caterpillar is able to go a long way in a day and return to the tree.
Apple fruits that are infected with caterpillars do not grow and fall. The mass distribution of butterflies and caterpillars can deprive the crop at the first stage of up to 25%, and at the second and further – up to 80-90% of the fruits. Such moths appear when the tree begins to bloom. Their years last for 1,5-2 months.
How to get rid of leaflet
The first sign of a leaflet is the twisting of the leaves into a tube. It is imperative to get rid of it, because at first it eats leaves, and with a large number of caterpillars it can spread to fruits. The caterpillar settles in twisted leaves, and may fall out of them. Butterflies fly until September, and sometimes until November. It is very easy for a pest to destroy 60-80% of the leaves, and move on to the fruits. The folk way of fighting is the destruction of nests.
How it is done is simply torn off and trampled on tangled foliage. In order to save the leaves, getting rid of only the caterpillars, pesticides will have to be applied. If chemistry is not welcome, there are special traps to catch the pest. You can see her in the photo below. The caterpillar of the leafworm is recognized by its color, it can be from brown to olive.
Eating the leaves of plants, with a large number of caterpillars, they are able to spread to the fruits. When settling, the leaf is covered with cobwebs and folded into a ball. Diseased leaves are immediately noticeable, so the tree should be inspected regularly. Also, caterpillars tend to change location. The struggle should be regular, both preventive and protective. To save time, use insecticides against pests. Processing begins before flowering. The day of application should be warm so that the larvae do not hide under the bark of the tree. One tree accounts for 2 to 5 liters of water with a solution, 10 ml per 10 liters. 
Moth fighting
The apple moth is considered a very common garden pest. Its caterpillar is small, and the butterfly is silvery white. The wingspan reaches 20 millimeters. Such a moth damages the leaves of an apple tree, and reproduction can take place en masse. If control measures are not taken, all the leaves on the trees can be destroyed. As a result, not only the harvest of this year, but also the next one may die.
The tree is able to lay the buds of the next year’s harvest. If the tree does not create the necessary supply of substances, it may die, and such a danger appears after the removal of the foliage. A weakened tree may not survive the winter. A photo of an apple moth can help visually identify the pest and respond in time to its appearance. How to deal with apple moth? Caterpillars on the apple tree hibernate under shields on the bark. In spring, they come out, and at the first appearance of leaves they bite into the pulp. Poisons during this period have practically no effect on them. However, in the interim between emergence and feeding, they become vulnerable and can be openly sprayed. Contact poisons at this point are very effective. It is during this period that spraying should be carried out. For spraying, an emulsion of DDT is made, 100 g per bucket of water. It is also acceptable to use DDT paste, 50 grams of such a paste is also used for a bucket of water.
Other tracks
There are other types of pests that also cause harm and which must be fought. The greyish-brown weevil, called the apple beetle, hibernates in cracks in the bark or under leaf litter. When the buds begin to bloom, the pest moves to the tree. Feeding on blossoming buds, the flower beetle causes a phenomenon called “bud crying” – holes appear with drops of juice. You can fight the flower beetle with glue belts and straw, where the beetles will crawl.
The pest that lives on the apple tree and on the pear is called the winter moth. Females are different from males, they do not fly. Caterpillars also feed on kidneys, covering them with cobwebs. After flowering, the caterpillars descend on the cobweb to the ground and burrow under the leaves. Butterflies appear in autumn, lay eggs for the winter, and they should be fought with glue belts.
The ringed silkworm harms apple, pear and plum trees; it is a brownish-yellow nocturnal moth. Silkworms feed at night, and during the day they hide in the forks of branches. The fight against the silkworm should be carried out when pruning the crown, removing branches with eggs. Nests with caterpillars are also removed and removed. Means can be used the same as against pests that eat leaves. Apple sucker – 2,5-3 mm insect, whose wings are transparent. It can both fly and jump. Harm is brought by the larvae of the sucker – they enter the kidneys and focus on the petioles and peduncles. Sucking out the juice, the larvae secrete a sugary substance called “honeydew”.
Fungi settle on the buds that bloom, and on the leaves. The yield of the tree decreases, the leaves become smaller, the fruiting of the buds decreases next year. The fight against larvae is carried out with a decoction of tobacco dust, pharmacy chamomile, yarrow. Chemicals can also be effective.
Video “How to deal with apple codling moth”
On the recording, Oktyabrina Ganichkina talks about a simple and affordable way to deal with these pests.