Pear fruit moth
(Cydia pyrivora)
Occurring at some particular parts of Europe, univoltine pest.
Food plant:
Pear, sometimes quince
Detriment:
Its damage is peculiar, clearly distinguishable from that of the codling moth. The round, dark red egg covers the larva’s place of intrusion, a small depression is formed here. The caterpillar entering the inside of the fruit harms the ovary, then leaves the fruit in a feces-free, straight route. Many times the “worminess” of the pear is thanks to this species and not to the codling moth.
Lifestyle:
In larva state it winters in the upper layers of the soil, protected by a thick web. The swarming of the imagoes starts from the second week of June and peaks at the end of June / beginning of July, depending on the year and the weather. The moths place their eggs to the inside of the fruits.
Recommended protection:
Hatching of the first caterpillars is expected usually after three weeks from the start of swarming, whereas their mass hatching takes place usually 7-8 days of peak swarming. Knowing the swarming is very important because chemical protection is the most effective at the time of peak swarming and mass hatching.
Pheromone trap placement:
The placement is due in the beginning of June. The trap can reliably indicate the swarming of the pests for 6-8 weeks.
Check the traps twice a week. Count the number of moths captured in the particular period and note the number. The swarming dynamics are visible from the data and the time of intervention is definable. Should the trap capture too few moths, even at peak swarming time, it refers to low infection. In this case the moths can be captured by placing some further traps in smaller gardens and the population can be controlled without spraying, so that we can preserve our environment.
Empirical swarming curve of the pear fruit moth in Central-Europe:
The introduced empirical swarming curve was prepared by using data of many years, however the swarming may be different depending on the weather and the microclimate of the arable land, therefore the thorough observation of swarming is also important.