I am in the Seattle area and am helping homeowners with their fruit trees as a volunteer with organizations such as http://www.cityfruit.org
I see the HOS forum is well developed and well read and so I would like to ask this question:
Who is monitoring and/or trapping and/or using one of the degree day websites to assess when the codling moth is likely to be emerging and/or laying eggs and as you follow this, I am curious to see how you will decide when you will be applying your organic or inorganic sprays or when will you be applying your foot sox or baggies? Perhaps this forum will serve as your cues and different people will have different values as to when to apply their control strategy, depending on whether or not they want early complete coverage or else to wait after the proverbial "June" drop.
I would like to learn more about what is happening in the Portland area to help forecast how to read this in the Seattle area and I think feedback from several people could be helpful.
Right now, by the way, it looks like the whole 2010 season will be early and the "June" drop, so to speak, for this season will be BEFORE June both for Portland and for Seattle.
Well, it's one month later and I think I'll ask again.......is anyone putting up traps for codling moth in the next few weeks? What will be the method of determining moth emergence for people there in Portland? Who will people be listening to in order to determine their timing on their spray or prevention program.
I know it seems way early, but the degree day model I am following currently projects a biofix in mid-April if I understand it right, for the Seattle area......this is a whole three weeks earlier than usual, if the projections hold. I presume Portland is somewhat similar but don't know.
This would mean (I think) that those using pheromone mating disruptors should actually think about applying the first ones now......and that those who apply bags or foot sox will need to do so in the month of May......not June, as has historically done.
And that the first cover spray for those doing Spinosad would do so maybe at the end of April or first week of May.
I am often wrong.....please correct any misunderstandings.
I started last year Mid-May and it was too late. It was my first year covering fruit. It was still totally worth it. I was planning on starting about May 1, but maybe with your email I'll start earlier. An entomologist I spoke to on Sunday said to put out apple cider vinegar hanging in cups before, until you see them in it. Then you'll know they're in the area.
By check back I meant there are other posts on this topic in the past.
I don't know why others aren't chiming in. They may just use the 1st of May or something like I use, instead of some complex weather tool.
John S
PDX OR
Thanks, John.....I have already talked on the phone or in person with members of the excellent HOS and have picked up ideas on bagging and foot sox from them.....and have been working on these the past few years.
What I am interested in now is fine-tuning my ability to know when to protect against the first pest to arrive on the scene, the codling moth, and how to recognize the difference amidst some of the different mini-climates.
I hope I am not sounding the alarm too early, but I am gathering that this year will be unusually early and thus we have to re-think the "models" we are operating on.....for this year at least.
One idea might be to put a cover spray on the first of May and thus buy us a little time for the bagging or foot sox to do that later.....but my guess is that those thinking they can protect their apples by June applications could POSSIBLY be okay for apple maggot but would definitely be too late for CM.
And of course, I am not assuming the standard foot sox will protect against CM......I have found that is a hit and miss proposition.... the standard foot sox will work for apple maggot but are "iffy" for codling moth.......but Ted Swenson's new and improved kaolin versions should work for both AM and for CM.....as long as they are applied early enough.
A second look tells me that I am indeed probably sounding the alarm too early. I am now questioning whether the codling moth will begin its first flight in Seattle in April......and am especially questioning how early it will be in the Portland area as I just now looked at data for a monitoring station in Vancouver Washington and the Vancouver station is considerably behind the Seattle area as it has been cooler.
I apologize for wrong inferences....and am not informed on the Portland area....we are apparently earlier this year, but I am not sure how much earlier.....hopefully, there are others more informed than me as I am just learning.
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