Winter moths pose threat to apples, pears and blueberries

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As expected, winter moth eggs started to hatch in Kingston. I found one empty egg shell yesterday afternoon and 7 empty egg shells this afternoon. I think it would be a good idea to spray apples and blueberries in winter moth areas with an insecticide by Monday, April 21st. The tiny caterpillars are very susceptible to insecticide before they get into buds. For organic growers I said the only organic insecticide I knew would work was Entrust. Well, last night I was talking to an organic grower, and a couple of years ago I suggested he try Neemix to control winter moth. He said it worked great and that's what he's going to use this year. Good thing someone has a good memory! For non-organic fruit growers I recommend Imidan or Sevin. I've attached a picture of a couple of empty egg shells for those of you who are interested. Heather -- URI Cooperative Extension hhf@uri.edu 401-874-2967 cell 401-256-7438

empty winter moth eggs

Update from Heather Faubert, URI Extension on April 18, 4 pm:

As expected, winter moth eggs started to hatch in Kingston, RI. I found one empty egg shell yesterday afternoon and 7 empty egg shells this afternoon. I think it would be a good idea to spray apples and blueberries in winter moth areas with an insecticide by Monday, April 21st.

The tiny caterpillars are very susceptible to insecticide before they get into buds. For organic growers I said the only organic insecticide I knew would work was Entrust. Well, last night I was talking to an organic grower, and a couple of years ago I suggested he try Neemix to control winter moth. He said it worked great and that’s what he’s going to use this year.

If you have further questions, conatct Heather at URI Cooperative Extension via email to hhf@uri.edu. You can also call the URI Extension office at 401-874-2967 or Heather’s cell at 401-256-7438.