About Codling Moth Cydia Pomonella (Linnaeus)

The Codling Moth is a proclaimed pest worldwide. It has the potential to severely damage or destroy all fruit on a single tree if no control methods are taken.

Today, more and more people are becoming concerned about the use of chemicals and pesticide residues on foodstuffs and are therefore opting for alternative control methods. One of these methods is tree banding. Use Tree Guard to control Codling Moth without the use of toxic chemicals.

Host Plants

Pome fruit (such as apples and pears) are the main hosts. Other plants often attacked are walnuts and plums. Other known hosts include apricots, peaches and nectarines.

Life Cycle

In Australia we can have up to 3 generations per year.

• In Tasmania there is generally one generation per year.
• In the mainland, south of the Great Dividing Range, Adelaide Hills and the high country around Batlow and Orange, there is generally two generations per year.
• In all other parts of Australia there is generally three generations per year.

1st Generation

Codling moth ‘over-winters’ as a full-grown larva in a cocoon under the bark of trees. The larvae pupate in early spring and emerge as moths between October and November.

The moths soon mate and lay eggs on developing fruit (each female is capable of depositing between 30 to 70 eggs on a single fruit). The eggs hatch and the young larvae burrow into fruit to reach the core and eat the seeds of the fruit.

By December the larvae have completed their development and drop from the trees to the ground on a silken thread in order to crawl to the trunk and pupate.

2nd Generation

Moths will emerge between December and January and repeat the process to pupation stage as in the 1st generation.

3rd Generation

The moths will once again emerge between February and March and repeat the process as in the 1st generation, over-winter in a cocoon pupating the following spring where the cycle begins all over again.