Monday, August 30, 2021

[nafex] Severe moth damage

Hi all-As of last year, I have an infestation of moths that are causing severe damage to all soft fruits. They are sort of the avant-garde leading to charge to poke holes in the fruit, at which point spotted wing drosophila gets in there in a big way and the fruit is summarily ruined in literally a single evening. I've suffered around 80% loss of my otherwise excellent peach crop. They ruined the majority of my American persimmon crop last fall. 
The description of their behavior and feeding is suggestive of the common fruit-piercing moth, Eudocina fullonia, although this is a much smaller moth and looks very different. To me, it resembles the codling moth, but it's a little over twice the size. It's very non-descript, all mottled gray, and has a pointy proboscis which it inserts into fruit repeatedly in a small area. I'm still not sure if it's feeding or ovipositor (maybe both?), nor can I find any info about such a moth. I'm fairly convinced this is a new arrival and I've yet to find anyone who can corroborate my experience or provide me with any info useful or otherwise. Go check your trees at night - mulberries, peaches, persimmons- and see if your having the same thing happen.





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