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Meet the Pest: Oriental Fruit Moth (OFM)

OFM attacks almonds, apples, cherries, peaches, pears, plums and nectarines

Certis Choice Solution:
 Deliver biological insecticide

Oriental fruit moth (OFM) is native to China. However, it has spread throughout the world and is now the most important insect pest of peaches. Its preferred host is quince, but the greatest economic damage occurs on peaches and nectarines. OFM was first detected in the eastern US in 1913. By 1942, it had reached California and is now found in essentially all the peach growing districts of the US and the peach growing areas of Ontario, Canada.

Life History

OFM overwinter as mature, diapausing larvae inside tightly woven cocoons in protected places on the tree or in the trash near the base of the tree. Adults begin emerging in late March or early April in the southeast and in May and June in the northern states. In Washington state, moths emerge at about full bloom.

Female OFM start calling approximately 1 to 3 hours preceding and following dusk depending upon temperatures. Cool daytime temperatures will advance calling while constant high temperatures will delay it. Females generally call, mate and lay the majority of their eggs in the upper third of the tree or on the terminal leaf of newly emerging shoots. Individual females lay up to 200 eggs each, but the average is more like 60 to 75 eggs per female. The eggs hatch in five to 21 days depending upon temperature.

The larvae feed in terminals where they complete their development. Larvae will work their way down the shoots for 2 to 6 inches. Larvae often attack more than one shoot (sometimes up to five shoots). On average each larvae will damage two to three shoots. Second generation larvae feed in shoots, but fruit of some of the earlier maturing peach varieties may also be attacked. The infested fruit of early varieties usually show a high percentage of side entrances. This attack often takes place where the fruit are touching, where a leaf rests against a fruit or on the open surface of the fruit. OFM usually enter through the sides of the fruit causing gumming with brown saw-dust-like frass.

The exudations turn black as the season progresses and a black blotch will be present on the peach at picking time. This type of injury is referred to as old “injury.” The subsequent generations may attack shoot terminals and green fruit, but as fruit matures, it becomes the preferred site of attack. This type of injury is referred to as “new injury.” Newly hatched larvae usually enter the fruit through the stem end where the skin is soft. Once in the fruit, the larvae makes a long irregular channel through the soft tissue. It does much of its feeding around the pit. Brown rot infection usually starts in peaches at the entrance holes.

There are usually five or six generations per year in the southeast and three or four generations in northerly areas. The success of the species late season is usually adversely affected by the lack of availability of succulent shoots on peach or other hosts.