Insect Management in the Four Year Old Apples

Hello folks, been some time since a posting, can only blame it on the usual: working outside, laziness, and doing other things than being on a computer.  One new hobby of mine is art, art in the plastic sense, not in tending fruit.  Yes, I've been dipping into my long unused creative well and trying all kinds of things with watercolors, acrylics, and my favorite, oil pastels.  I've been particularly inspired by Odilion Redon, Schwitters, Klee, and Lee Krasner.  More of the expressionist, abstracty kind of vibe.

Now to the matter at hand.  Codling moth in apples and pears is a major pest problem that you are guaranteed to have.  Check out this Wikipedia site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codling_moth for more great details.  Codling moth is the worm at the center of the apple, which is the larva that has burrowed into the apple after being laid as an egg on the surface of the apple.  In large orchards (1+ acres) the use of pheromone lures is rapidly advancing.  The Pheromone lures essentially make it really hard for the moths to mate, therefore no eggs can be laid on apples which will burrow into the center.  This use of pheromone lures is called mating disruption.  For us small time back yard orchardists, the only guaranteed method of protection is a physical barrier, either sprayed on as in the use of kaolin clay (brand name Surround), or by use of nylon baggies that cover the apple and create a protective barrier. The baggies are fairly easy to use, won't interfere with the ripening of the apple (it will actually prevent sunburn on the fruit), and can be reused unlike paper bags.  The best time to use the baggies is after thinning your apples (when the fruit is the size of a grape).  There are lots of YouTube videos that will show this.  I am having technical difficulties uploading my pictures to this blog, so you will have to venture out on your own..... sorry!


All the best in the spring.