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Tortrix moth
The caterpillars of this common pest attack both fruiting and ornamental plants
How do I recognise tortrix moths?
Tortrix moths attack both fruit plants and ornamental plants. They are nocturnal, whereas fruitlet-mining moths are active by day – they are dark brown with a 10mm wingspan and a pale, metallic wingtip. The caterpillars are thin and up to 25mm long. Fruitlet-mining moth caterpillars are grey/green, summer fruit tortrix light green and fruit-tree tortrix whitish. Look out for them wriggling backwards when touched. The caterpillars feed on leaves, often spinning shelters of leaves or rolling them into protective tubes. They then move on to fruit, usually hiding by attaching a leaf to the fruit with silk and feeding beneath it. The damage is only to the fruit surface.
Can you tell me more about tortrix moth?
Fruitlet-mining moth caterpillars overwinter in a cocoon beneath the bark and pupate in spring. The females emerge in May and lay eggs under rosettes of leaves. After petal-fall they hatch and grow to full size by late summer.
Summer tortrix-moth caterpillars overwinter in a cocoon beneath a bud scale or dead leaf, and start feeding again in the spring, initially on young fruit buds, blossom, and then the leaves. They pupate in mid-summer. The emerging moths lay eggs on leaves, which hatch into caterpillars and feed in late summer – these cause the most damage.
Fruit-tree tortrix caterpillars overwinter in a cocoon under bark and pupate in mid-summer. They lay eggs in green blobs beneath leaves. Some early developers pupate in spring, giving rise to a second generation of caterpillars in early autumn. Both generations can damage fruit.
Learn more about how to grow fruit
What damage do tortrix moths cause?
The feeding of all tortrix moths produces shallow depressions with dark margins in the fruit. Some bore deeper, but seldom as far as the core. By harvest, the wounds will have healed, leaving a corky or russeted covering, distorting growth around the damage. They are a problem in mid- to late summer. Fruitlet-mining tortrix makes a shelter of webbing in clusters of apples.
Summer fruit tortrix shelter in leaves held together by silken webbing near the tips of shoots.
Fruit-tree tortrix caterpillars hide beneath silken shelters of leaves and fruit or in the eye of the apple, and can be hard to spot.
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Can I spray against tortrix moths?
Yes, if your trees are small. Treat with an insecticide approved for caterpillar control on fruit .
Are there any organic controls for tortrix moth?
There are pheromone traps available. These will help reduce the number of make moths. You can also use them to plan when to spray – if more than 30 moths a week are caught, be ready to spray 10-14 days later.
Suppliers of pheromone traps include: Agralan
Can I leave it to nature to take care of tortrix moth?
Usually, yes. There are many predators of these insects.