Articles

Lesser appleworm, Grapholita prunivora, is a common native North American species, although infrequent as a pest in Pennsylvania orchards.

Lesser peachtree borer, Synanthedon pictipes, is an important pest in peach and cherry orchards throughout Pennsylvania and surrounding states.

Obliquebanded leafroller (OBLR), Choristoneura rosaceana, is native to and widely distributed throughout temperate North America. Larvae feed on a wide range of plants, including apple.

Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica, is one of the best-known pests to be encountered by Pennsylvania fruit growers, nursery operators, and gardeners.

Spongy moth, Lymantria dispar, may attack fruit trees, especially apple, causing defoliation that can stunt or kill young trees.

The green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, is a common pest of peach and nectarine in Pennsylvania.

Spirea aphid, Aphis spiraecola, has largely displaced the apple aphid, A. pomi, in apple since the mid-1980s.

Since 1985, European apple sawfly (Hoplocampa testudinea) has extended its range from the northeastern portion of Pennsylvania to the Maryland border. Now this pest is common throughout Pennsylvania.

The speckled green fruitworm, Orthosia hibisci, is the most common of several green fruitworm pests occurring in commercial orchards.

Codling moth, Cydia pomonella, was introduced from Europe in colonial times and now occurs throughout North America as well as most of the world, wherever apples are grown.

Dogwood borer, Synanthedon scitula, was found for the first time in the 1980s as a common pest in the burr knots of apple trees.

Buffalo treehopper, Stictocephala bisonia, is an occasional pest of fruit trees in Pennsylvania. It gets its name from its humpbacked resemblance to the shape of a buffalo.

The black cherry aphid, Myzus cerasi, is the most common aphid attacking cherries, primarily sweet cherries, in most parts of North America.

The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys, is an exotic insect species naturally occurring in Japan, southern China, and Korea.

Apple maggot, Rhagoletis pomonella, also known as the "railroad worm," is abundant in untreated orchards and backyard trees.

The spongy moth, Lymantria dispar, might attack fruit trees, especially apple trees, causing leaf damage. Damage can be severe on young trees, where defoliation can stunt or kill the plant.

A number of insect and mite pests have developed varying levels of resistance to some insecticidal chemistries over the years, including the organophosphates, carbamates, and pyrethroids.

Apple leafminer, Lyonetia prunifoliella, has become fairly common in young, nonbearing trees since in the 1980s, but has not resulted in economic injury.

Apple grain aphid, Rhopalosiphum fitchii, rarely causes damage to apples, but it is the first aphid to appear on apples in spring and may appear in large, but innocuous, numbers.

The diseases and insect pests of apples occur at different times during the growing season, depending on environmental and biological factors.

The plant bugs and stink bugs that attack peaches, nectarines, apples, and pears feed on many different wild and cultivated plants, including numerous other horticultural and agronomic crops.

Informational table showing direct and indirect fruit pests.

Oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta, is a pest of most stone and pome fruits. In pome fruits, its appearance and injury is similar to that of the codling moth and lesser appleworm.

The peachtree borer, Synanthedon exitiosa, is a pest primarily of peach and nectarine trees, but it also attacks apricot, cherry, and plum trees.

Insecticides and miticides should be selected based on the pests to be controlled and product efficacy. Prevent resistance to pest control chemicals by alternating chemicals by IRAC code group.