Effectiveness

• According to the Integrated Pest Management Program of the University of California at Davis, effective control is loss of no more than 10 to 20 percent of potential harvest. Codling moth traps are most effective when used as early as possible. Once an orchard is severely infested, it may take several seasons to get the population back under control. Insecticides are not considered effective for controlling codling moths.
  
  

Eggs

• Codling moth eggs are trapped in infested fruit and controlled with sanitation methods. Six to eight weeks after the trees bloom, it is necessary to inspect each tree every one to two weeks to remove and destroy damaged fruit. This prevents eggs from turning into larvae.
  
  

Larvae

• Codling moth larvae are trapped with trunk band traps. These are homemade, 4-inch strips of corrugated cardboard (1/8 inch core or size A). They are placed with corrugated rows vertical or parallel to trunks and stapled in place at least 18 inches above the ground between early and late May, depending on climate, and again in August to kill the second annual generation. They are removed after pupation between late May and late June, November and January. Spiders and other predators are removed from the cardboard and placed back on the trees to control the moth population. Larvae seek out crevices to pupate, so the smoother the trunk, the better these traps work.
  
  

Commercial Traps for Adults

• Commercial traps reduce the population by removing males, which prevents breeding. They are containers filled with mastic and baited with female mating pheromones. Traps are applied one to two per juvenile tree or two to four per adult tree, high in the tree's canopy, beginning in mid to late March. A rope and pulley system makes servicing the traps easier. Traps must be cleaned of dead moths, and mastic must be stirred every one to two weeks. Manufacturers recommend changing the bases every month. These traps and removing infected fruit are the most effective population control.
  
  

Homemade Traps for Adults

• Homemade traps remove male and female adult moths with food bait and drowning. They are made by cutting a 2-inch hole near the top of a one-gallon plastic jug. The jug is filled with one cup of apple cider vinegar, one-third cup of molasses, one-eighth teaspoon of ammonia and enough water to fill it just over halfway. These should also be hung high in the tree and be serviced regularly. Drawbacks are that they can catch important pollinators and other beneficial animals, such as bees and hummingbirds.
  
  

Considerations

• Susceptible species of trees should not be planted near each other. Pear, apple and English walnut orchards should be separated. Different varieties can also be separated, or smooth-barked varieties may be interspersed with rough-barked varieties. Nearby populations will migrate, so care should be taken to avoid planting near other orchards, especially ones that are not well-maintained.