A Codling Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Kairomonal Lure Is Marginally Effective at Decreasing Fruit Damage in Apple Trees Outside of Orchard Settings

Codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), is a significant pest of pome fruits and walnuts worldwide. Recently, a three-chemical kairomonal lure, comprised of pear ester, acetic acid, and n-butyl sulfide, was successfully used as an attractant in a mass-trapping scheme to reduce fruit damage in commercial apple orchards. In this study, we tested whether this same attractant could be used outside of an orchard setting to decrease fruit damage in isolated, unmanaged apple (Malus spp.) (Rosales: Rosaceae) trees. Traps containing the lures were placed in trees before the first codling moth flight and maintained throughout the summer. We found that while the traps statistically reduced the percent of apples damaged near the trap, the effect was smaller than expected and limited to areas near the trap. It is currently unclear, but site-specific effects (e.g., host type, apple density, codling moth source) may be important factors in the efficacy of management tools in these systems. While kairomone-based trapping could be a practical and feasible management tool in individual trees outside of orchards, more work needs to be done to understand the limitations of this method.