Codling moth

Codling moth larvae burrow into apples and pears in the Puget Sound, creating holes filled with reddish-brown, crumbly droppings as they tunnel toward the core. You will see entry holes on the fruit surface, often on the side facing the trunk. Adult moths are gray-mottled and half to three-quarter inch long, with a distinctive dark coppery-brown band at the wing tip. Larvae are white to pink, about three-quarter inch when mature. Two generations per year occur in Western Washington; first emergence aligns with pink bloom.

Monitor at bloom using pheromone traps for spray timing. Remove dropped fruit and do not compost. Prune for air circulation. Apply spinosad or pyrethrin at early fruit development. Encourage natural parasitoids. Most home orchards succeed through trapping and sanitation alone.