How to identify and manage codling moth

UK seasonality and monitoring

Adult flights and egg laying occur from late spring through summer.

During this period inspect Apples and sometimes pears, concentrating on the crop stage and plant parts described above. Note when and where fresh injury appears; old feeding marks can remain after the pest has moved on.

Crops and plants affected

The recorded hosts are Apples and sometimes pears. This list identifies plants worth checking; it does not mean every crop is equally vulnerable. Start with the listed plants and inspect the tissue where this pest feeds.

Check affected crops for these signs: Entry holes, frass and brown internal tunnels in fruit. Match the symptom to a live pest, larva, egg or characteristic feeding sign before deciding that treatment is needed.

Damage and likely consequences

Entry holes, frass and brown internal tunnels in fruit. A small amount of old damage on a vigorous plant may be cosmetic. Continued feeding on roots, seedlings, growing points or edible parts can reduce establishment or yield.

On Apples and sometimes pears, judge severity by checking whether injury is fresh and spreading, whether the plant is still growing, and whether the edible part is affected. Avoid removing a crop based on one ambiguous mark.

Prevention

Inspect apples from early summer and collect fallen fruit promptly; larvae can continue developing in dropped apples.

Control and integrated management

Cut an affected apple open to check for an entry hole and tunnel towards the core before deciding how widely to intervene.

Natural predators and wildlife-conscious choices

Tolerate some blemished fruit and prioritise hygiene and monitoring.

For codling moth on Apples and sometimes pears, use a barrier or hand removal only where it fits the crop and life stage. Keep any cover taut, inspect it for trapped wildlife, and remove it when protection is no longer needed.

Long-term management

Remove infested and fallen fruit through the season and check the tree again the following year.

For codling moth on Apples and sometimes pears, record the bed, crop stage and date when fresh damage first appears. Those notes help time protection and monitoring before the same crop stage is vulnerable next season.

Common mistakes

A symptom alone is not a diagnosis. The adult is a small moth, but the useful clue is a neat entry point in an apple with crumbly frass. The caterpillar tunnels towards the core and the damaged fruit may fall early. Look for a matching live pest or fresh feeding sign before intervening.

Do not confuse late codling-moth tunnels with the earlier scars made by apple sawfly.

If damage continues

Recheck Apples and sometimes pears where new injury is appearing, including the hidden feeding site: roots, folded leaves, leaf undersides, flowers or fruit as appropriate. If identification remains uncertain, photograph a live specimen alongside the damage and ask an allotment association or horticultural adviser.

If the recommended control (Remove damaged fruit, use pheromone monitoring and targeted biological options where appropriate.) has not helped, confirm that it was fitted or applied at the right crop stage and that fresh damage is still occurring. Old marks do not heal when the pest has gone.

Frequently asked questions