The overall objective of this project was to develop and demonstrate control of codling moths (CM) in apple orchard plots using an attract-and-kill approach (A & K).  Codling moth is a major pest of pome fruits worldwide, but can be controlled with the use of insecticides and mating disruption.  While these methods can be effective, there are cases where these management practices are not appropriate or desired.  The management approach we tested “mass traps” CM by placing traps and lures at a high enough density in an orchard to reduce the number of  moths, reduce the number of eggs laid, and most importantly reduce the amount of apples damaged.  These chemicals likely simulate rotting fruit odors, and are attractive to both male and female CM.  Since the removal of females are critical to reducing a population, the use of kairomone(food odor)-based lures may be effective in mass-trapping.  If mass-trapping is effective, the primary benefits of this approach are that it can reduce insecticide use, as well as any impacts on non-target insects including beneficial insects.

Work prior to this project showed that female CM are very attracted to the combination of acetic acid, pear ester and N-butyl sulfide (Landolt et al. 2014). In Washington state, field tests in four acre plots, from 2014 and 2017, provided promising results (Jaffe et al. in review).  We were successful in removing a large number of male and female CM, and the removal of these individuals was associated with fewer CM-damaged apples.  In 2017, this method was attempted in Wisconsin in 2.5 acre plots located in Dane County.  Unfortunately, we trapped few CM in the apple orchard, and the project was stopped after 8 weeks of data collection.  It is likely that the CM populations were so low in our Wisconsin plot, that mass-trapping would not have a significant impact on the number of apples damaged.