Knowledgebase

Apple-Pear Problem #717182

Asked August 24, 2020, 6:16 PM EDT

We seem to have some insect (or ?) that attacks our Apple-Pear tree. Small holes are bored into the fruit, then larger blackish spots develop around the hole entrance. This has happened for several years. Should we be using some type of spray? And if yes, what time of year should that be applied? We generally do not spray any chemicals on our fruit trees but it appears that something is needed if you want to harvest edible fruit. Thank You Dave Noll

Pierce County Washington

Expert Response

Have you cut one of them open yet? Could you do that and report back to me? When did you notice the problem? Just recently? What percentage of the fruit is affected? If you've had this problem for several year

 I'm pretty sure that birds may be partially at fault, with the yellowjacket cleanup crew, but I want to rule out codling moth or other problem.  If you've had this problem for several years, I'm leaning toward codling moth.  Let's see what the inside of the apple looks like.  Cut it in half and upload the pic, please.
Alice Slusher Replied August 24, 2020, 9:56 PM EDT
Alice, we have had this problem for a number of years.  The tree is small but is a good producer.  The pear-apple fruit that has not been affected is good to eat.  When cutting open the fruit, you mostly notice the 'tunnel' appearance going through it.  I have included a couple of other pictures.

I would say that almost 100% of the fruit exhibits some signs of the hole and tunneling.  Not sure why some is now showing such a large dark area on the skin?

Perhaps we need to spray something?  Just don't know what to use and when to use it.  I also have a very old pear tree (Bartlett like pears) that shows some signs of this as well, but not to the same extent.  The pears have a wonderful taste, you just need to work around the bad spots.  Hope this additional info helps.




The Question Asker Replied August 25, 2020, 7:24 PM EDT
Does the tunneling look like this?  See attached.  Please one of your pears in half and send me the photo.  Thanks
Alice Slusher Replied August 25, 2020, 8:09 PM EDT
Example of cut open apple-pear attached.  Again, most of the fruit has some number of external holes, while the insides can be fairly decent or they can look like the attached example.  It would sure be nice to be able to reduce or eliminate this problem in the future.

Thanks
The Question Asker Replied August 27, 2020, 1:18 AM EDT
It looks like codling moth damage. I can't tell from your photo, but there might be an earwig inside the hole that the coddling moth made. Yes, there is definitely something you can do about it. Get rid of every single Asian pear that has a hole in it. You don't have to do it right away, but you do not want any left on the ground. In the early spring, the unobtrusive codling moth lays nearly invisible eggs on the tree, and the resultant caterpillars burrow their way into the fruit, eating the fruit and spoiling it along the path. That attracts other insects at this time of year, too. When they've reached the right stage of development, they leave the fruit, drop to the ground, and pupate over the winter. Next spring they emerge as the next generation of codling moths, and the cycle starts all over again. That's why it's essential that you pick up fallen fruit, and get infested fruit off the tree.

 Managing the problem will take time and effort on your part, and there are several options available to you.

This WSU article will explain it better.  https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2070/2019/09/FS120E-Codling-Moth.pdf

This is also excellent: Managing Diseases and Insects in Home Orchards
 https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/ec631

And here is the spray schedule for WA fruit trees.  The timing for Asian pear trees like yours is the same as for Pears and Apples below.  PLEASE read all label instructions if you decide to spray your trees.  This will help to protect our pollinators, you, and the environment.
http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/treefruit.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/25133917/SUGGESTED_SP...
https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2086/2019/02/sprayschedulehomepears-1.pdf



Alice Slusher Replied August 27, 2020, 3:09 PM EDT
Thank you Alice.  Will give some thought to the management process.  Being a UW grad, it will hard to accept the information from WSU but I am sure the OSU information is much better.  (smiley face here)
The Question Asker Replied August 27, 2020, 3:21 PM EDT
UW may also have some info, too, but WSU is the Extension Land Grant University in WA, and it's their job to do agricultural research.  UW gets do do other fun scholarly stuff! :-)
Alice Slusher Replied August 27, 2020, 3:47 PM EDT

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