Anyone know how to rid your apples of worms

[Mossy Rock]

I take it you will need to spray them, has anyone had this problem and how did you resolve it?

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

So I assume you are meaning the Apple Worm or Coddling Moth larvae, right?

If so, then boy do you have a fun time ahead of you.

I'm not too familiar with non-organic methods so I will provide you with I know works. And somethings that don't work.

Basically the biggest thing that you want to do is disrupt the mating process of the Coddling Moth. By taking care of the moth you take care of the future generations of worms. Sticky traps, available commercially, are good for helping alleviate some of the moths. Garlic spray, a mix of about 2 heads of garlic chopped and 5 gallons of hot water, seems to help keep the moths away.

Depending on the size of your plantings, and if you only have a few trees, you might want to consider buying a bunch of brown paper bags (lunch sized or smaller) and bagging your apples. Just tie a string, twist ties work best, or use a rubber band to keep them in place. This does work for keeping the worms out, as long as you do it before the eggs hatch. Just make sure that the bag is big enough for the apple to grow and tight enough to keep pests out.

Many people will suggest Sevin. I strongly discourage it, although effective to control the Coddling Moth, it is a general pesticide that will kill good and bad bugs. Remember we need the pollinators to help make more fruit.

A good spraying of Neem oil in the spring while the trees are still dormant will help control populations because it destroys the eggs. Also, removing damaged, splintered or lifting bark from your trees will help control moth populations since this is usually where they tend to nest. Removing all apples that fall is crucial because this will encourage more worms. Also, get rid of any and all debris near the trees, this gives them a place to overwinter.

If I were to recommend spraying them with anything it would be Bacillus thuringiensis var kurtaski or Bt. A commercially available bacteria that is used as an insecticide to control most worms and caterpillars. I would recommend spraying now, then removing debris, bark, fallen apples and then bagging. Placing a couple of sticky traps. Then spraying Neem in the spring. Repeat.

The key thing is to disrupt the mating cycle because they can produce up to 5 generations per year. Using the above methods this should help a bit. I'm sure others will be by with more help, hopefully.

If Apple Maggots are the problem, the above methods should work minus the sticky traps.

Good luck.

 

[Mossy Rock]

Great information, I will try the sticky paper, and be sure I pick up all the fallen apples, I will take a apple to a nursery and check with a master gardener to see if they could clearly identify it. I may try putting some DE around the trunk and on the bark temporary until I come up with a solution. Thanks for the advice.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

That's a good idea. I'm sure they should be able to identify it. Careful with the DE it can sometimes do more harm than good when used directly in applications.

Either way, a good Bt application will work well. It's usually sold under the name Dipel in most good garden centers.

 

[Mossy Rock]

I talked with a local nursery and they said just bring in an apple. The lady I spoke with has me leaning towards the neem oil being non-chemical, I may try that along with the sticky paper, but I will first have them identify the culprit.
Thanks!

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

I talked with a local nursery and they said just bring in an apple. The lady I spoke with has me leaning towards the neem oil being non-chemical, I may try that along with the sticky paper, but I will first have them identify the culprit.
Thanks!

Neem oil is a great way to help control many pests but the only issue is that it should not be sprayed right now because it won't be as effective. Neem oil (like most horticultural oils) works by suffocating the eggs of most insects. It can be effective on white flies, aphids and a few other insects but I would recommend Bt over Neem at this phase.

I'm sure they should have Bt available.

JMHO

 

[Mossy Rock]

I talked with a local nursery and they said just bring in an apple. The lady I spoke with has me leaning towards the neem oil being non-chemical, I may try that along with the sticky paper, but I will first have them identify the culprit.
Thanks!

Neem oil is a great way to help control many pests but the only issue is that it should not be sprayed right now because it won't be as effective. Neem oil (like most horticultural oils) works by suffocating the eggs of most insects. It can be effective on white flies, aphids and a few other insects but I would recommend Bt over Neem at this phase.

I'm sure they should have Bt available.

JMHO

They had BT and neem I decided on a spray that has Spinosad as a ingredient, since it has been very windy here they recommended I water throughly the next two days then spray the apples and tree in the evening then again in two weeks, the apples are not very large yet so hopefully I get it under control before they get more of the apples.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

I don't have too much experience using Spinosad but have known people who have used it.

I feel that Spinosad, since it is a broad spectrum pesticide killing both "good and bad" bugs, wouldn't be the most effective product to use. Personally we keep a very healthy population of beneficial insects and use a lot of companion planting to reduce our use or sprays or dusts, organic or not.

IME, you should just be careful about using the product around beneficials and only use what is needed.

Good luck and please keep us posted on how this works out.

 

[Mossy Rock]

I don't have too much experience using Spinosad but have known people who have used it.

I feel that Spinosad, since it is a broad spectrum pesticide killing both "good and bad" bugs, wouldn't be the most effective product to use. Personally we keep a very healthy population of beneficial insects and use a lot of companion planting to reduce our use or sprays or dusts, organic or not.

IME, you should just be careful about using the product around beneficials and only use what is needed.

Good luck and please keep us posted on how this works out.

I was told to spray in the evenings since it can kill bees and I don't want it to kil off any beneficial insects, plus my chickens should be going to roost around that time, the least exposure the better, I will still wear pants, long sleeve shirt and glooves along with a mask just for precaution reasons. There are a variety of products available and the master gardener I spoke with recommended this one, so I'll give it a try, I'll keep you posted.

 

[Rosalind]

Not sticky paper, sticky red ball traps.

The red ball traps should be available from any nursery. They have a bug pheromone in them to catch the bugs, and they are red ball-shaped so they look a bit like apples (to a bug).