Problem Identifier Unit Screen//v.w/ RR Template

Problem Identifier Unit Screen//v.w/ RR Template Fruit Tree Leafroller

Problem
Irregular holes appear in the leaves and fruit. Some of the leaves are rolled and held together with a web. Inside these rolled leaves are pale green worms with brown heads, up to ¾ inch long. The maturing apples are scarred and misshapen.

Analysis
(Archips argyrospilus)

These worms, the larvae of brown moths, are common pests of many fruit and ornamental trees. The moths lay their eggs on branches or twigs in June or July. The eggs hatch the following spring, and the emerging larvae feed on the blossoms and developing fruit and foliage. Leafrollers often wrap leaves around ripening fruit, then feed on the fruit inside. After about a month, the mature larvae pupate within rolled leaves, to emerge as moths in June or July.

Solution
If practical, pick off and destroy rolled leaves to reduce the numbers of moths that will emerge later in the season. Next spring, spray the tree with an insecticide containing malathion, carbaryl, or diazinon when 75 percent of the petals have fallen from the blossoms. Repeat the spray according to the directions on the label.

Back to the top