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Cydia pomonella

(codling moth) is an important pest of apple, pear and walnut in most parts of the world. Damage is caused by the larvae, which burrow into the fruits. Infestations are traditionally managed with pesticide applications directed at the eggs or the hatchling larvae. However, the codling moth has developed resistance to many of these insecticides24. The synthesis of the codling moth’s female sex pheromone led to the development of pheromone-mediated mating disruption. This technique is now becoming an important tool to control the pest. The codling moth sex pheromone is species specific and non-toxic. To increase the uptake of pheromone-based control methods for codling moth by European fruit grower, more reliable and less expensive application technologies are required such as the puffer pheromone technique that will be developed in WP3 and validated on-farm within WP4.

Management approach

Semio-chemical control: Progress the use of pheromone puffers (a device that releases pheromone only at appropriate times when insects are sensitive to pheromone signals).

Solution proposed by EMPHASIS

Semio-chemical control: Pheromone puffer for semiochemical use in insect pest management (PU)

Contact person/organisation

Herman Helsen (WUR)