Codling moth on pears
UC IPM's pear guidelines separate two kinds of damage: stings, where a larva bores a short way into the flesh and dies, and deep entries, where it reaches the core and feeds in the seed cavity. Larvae go in through the side, the stem end or the calyx (flower) end, and UC IPM warns that calyx entries are hard to spot without cutting the fruit. There are two to three generations a year in California, and UC IPM warns that pear fruit can be damaged even when pheromone traps catch no moths, so check the fruit as well as the trap. The Madex HP residential label names pear, and the Cyd-X label lists pear in its agricultural directions; both say to spray at least twice per larval generation from first egg hatch. UC IPM's home-garden advice is to favour early-maturing pears where codling moth is bad, because late varieties suffer worse.
At a glance
- Damage
- Worm holes in apples and pears, with brown frass at the entry and a tunnel to the core
- Type
- Chewing
- Settings
- Garden, Field
- Threshold
- No home-garden threshold; start at first egg hatch
- Ally
- Betabaculovirus cypomonellae (Cydia pomonella granulovirus)
- Rate
- Label rate — Madex HP ½ tsp per 5 gal of water (the residential label names pear); Cyd-X 1 tsp per 5 gal (homeowner label)
How to confirm it
A hole in the fruit plugged with crumbly reddish-brown frass, often at the calyx end, and a tunnel running to the core. Cut the fruit open: a white to pinkish caterpillar with a dark brown head, up to ¾ inch long, is most likely codling moth; oriental fruit moth looks almost the same.
Identification, lifecycle, degree days and every control option are on the full Codling moth profile. Not sure it is this pest? Answer four questions about the damage.