December 2020 - 20

Codling Moth Task Force formed in Washington state
By Louis Nottingham
Washington State University
Codling moth (Figure 1) has been
the key pest of pome fruits across the
growing regions of Washington and
Oregon for over a hundred years. During
that time, pest management programs
regularly evolved as key pesticides were
phased out and new technology was
incorporated. As we continue to adapt
to new situations, there is a need to
synthesize and evaluate past and current
codling moth research and management
recommendations, and to communicate
that information to stakeholders.
The Codling Moth Task Force was
created in September 2020 to take the
lead in this issue.
Task force members
The Codling Moth Task Force
consists of 29 members including
growers, researchers, Extension
specialists, and other industry
representatives. It is led by Christopher
Adams, professor of entomology at
Oregon State University, along with
an executive committee including
Elizabeth Beers (Washington State
University), Michael Doerr (WilburEllis),
David Epstein (Northwest
Horticultural Council), and Louis
Nottingham (Washington State
University).
Codling Moth Task Force Executive Committee: From left: Christopher Adams (OSU), Elizabeth Beers (WSU), Michael Doerr (Wilbur-Ellis),
David Epstein (Northwest Horticultural Council) and Louis Nottingham (WSU).
Recent history
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
in the pome fruit industry underwent a
dramatic change in production practices
beginning with the registration of mating
disruption in 1990. Two multi-state,
multi-institution USDA areawide projects
encouraged widespread adoption of
mating disruption, and reduced the use of
organophosphate (OP) insecticides and
the need for control of secondary pests.
Aiding in this adoption was the
development and refinement of
phenology (degree-day) models and
pheromone trap monitoring. With the
planned phase-out of azinphosmethyl
(Guthion) in 2012, the Pest Management
Transition Project was started to help
growers learn to use the new
OP-alternative products.
For the first time, growers had a
selection of active ingredients (diamides,
spinosyns, neonicotinyls, IGRs) to
practice insecticide rotation for resistance
management, still using mating
disruption as the foundation of the IPM
program. Phenology, timing, and spray
recommendation are now gathered in a
single resource, the Decision Aid System,
or DAS (https://decisionaid.systems/).
The adoption of mating disruption has
provided stable codling moth control for
nearly 30 years. However, this successful
control coupled with the lack of new
insecticides or tactics led to a decline
in research and Extension focus on this
pest. In recent years, reports of increased
codling moth pressure are becoming
more frequent, so it is time to renew
our focus on this key pest. This task
force aims to promote training on basic
biology, monitoring, and management
techniques; identify challenges to
control; and encourage new research and
extension initiatives that will move the
industry forward.
First step - industry survey
A first and critical step in this process
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is to characterize industry practices for
codling moth control, with the aim of
better understanding why problems are
(or are not) occurring. An industrywide
survey will be circulated to identify
the primary challenges experienced by
Fig. 1. Codling moth adult, top. Exit hole
from codling moth larva, bottom.
growers and variables associated with
poor codling moth control. The survey
will be disseminated at the winter
meetings of 2020/2021. The Task Force
strongly encourages growers and other
stakeholders to participate in this survey
to help identify the most important
issues and establish priorities.
Louis Nottingham is an assistant
professor, Washington State University Tree
Fruit Extension Center, Wenatchee. FGN

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December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2020