An artificial diet for rearing the codling moth is described. It is a modification of a casein–wheat germ diet that was initially developed for the cabbage looper. Agar was replaced by a mixture of wood sawdust, wheat flour, and wood pulp. Growth of microorganisms was controlled by sorbic acid and aureomycin, and by lowering the pH of the diet to 3.5 with citric acid. Production cost for dietary ingredients was about $1/1000 moths. The moths were slightly smaller than those reared on apple. When confined in cages, the sterilized diet-reared moths were somewhat less competitive than the apple-reared insects. However, sterilized diet-reared male moths released in an apple orchard dispersed more rapidly than sterilized apple-reared males.
Sex pheromone traps to control codling moth by male removal was evaluated in three orchards in the Okanagan Valley. The program was successful in only one of the three orchards. This orchard is completely isolated and codling moth control has been obtained for 5 years. In a second orchard, codling moth populations were reduced by sprays prior to the male removal program. The program was successful in 1977, as the per cent injured fruit was only 0.6. In 1978, the codling moth capture rose sharply and at harvest the per cent injured fruit was 8.0. There was a high infestation in the third orchard when the program was initiated, and in 1976, the per cent injured fruit dropped to 10.4% from 60.0 in 1975. The per cent fruit injured by codling moth rose to 37.4 in 1977 and to 60.2 in 1978 under the male removal program. Our data show that this method of control is effective only under special circumstances, where codling moth populations are low and where isolation precludes reinfestation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.