MN Fruit & Vegetable IPM News - Vol. 4, No. 3

The Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM), Epiphyas postvittana, a native of Australia, has a host range of over 200 plants. It is a pest of many fruits, including apples, pears, grapes, and citrus varieties, and flowering plants, such as chrysanthemum, acacias, and michelmas daisy. Up until this year, the LBAM was not known to occur in the United States.

What’s the Problem?
On March 16, 2007, light brown apple moth was confirmed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Alameda County, California. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) are conducting detection and delimiting surveys to determine the area of infestation in the State of California. For the most up-to-date findings of the LBAM in California, go to the California Department of Agriculture web site (see below).

This is the first detection of LBAM in the mainland United States; the pest was reported in Hawaii in the late 1800’s. It is now considered to be a transient pest that warrants action. Control options, including eradication are being pursued. In order to prevent the dissemination of LBAM to other areas in the United States, a quarantine has been established to restrict interstate movement of certain articles to prevent the spread of LBAM. This quarantine will encompass all LBAM-affected counties of California and the entire State of Hawaii. The statewide quarantine of Hawaii is necessary because of the lack of data on the distribution of LBAM within the State.

What is the LBAM’s Life Cycle?
In Australia, the LBAM has three generations each year. The first eggs are laid by adults that develop from overwintering larvae. A female moth lays an average of 300 eggs in variable size clusters on the upper side of leaves. Egg hatch is temperature dependent and occurs between 5-30 days after eggs are laid. Larvae generally go through 6 instars and grow to between 10-15 mm long. The body of a mature larva is medium green with a darker green central stripe and two side stripes and the head is light brown. Larvae web together leaves, a leaf webbed to a fruit, or a fruit cluster to create a pupation site. A pupa forms within the web and a mature adult emerges about 132DD after the pupa forms. LBAM adults are variable in color; typical males are light brown with darker brown wing tips. Females are light brown and lay eggs 6-10 days after emerging.

What Kind of Damage Does It Cause?
Light brown apple moth larvae cause damage to foliage and fruit. Early instars feed on tissue beneath the surface layer of leaves. Larger larvae migrate from these positions to construct feeding niches between adjacent leaves, between a leaf and a fruit, in the developing bud or on a single leaf, where the topical leaf roll develops. The late stage larvae feed on all leaf tissue except main veins. Superficial fruit damage is common in apple varieties which form compact fruit clusters. Internal damage to apple is less common, but a young larva may enter the interior of an apple fruit through the calyx.

What is Its Status in Minnesota?
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Integrated Pest Management program has trapped for LBAM at eight apple orchards during the past two growing seasons (2005-06). In 2007, traps have been set at 7 of the 8 orchards monitored in the past two years. To date, there have been no catches in Minnesota of the LBAM. One possible point of entry of the LBAM into Minnesota could be plant material.

Where Can I Get More Information?
More information on the Light Brown Apple Moth, including updated information on quarantine information and its spread, is available at: California Department of Food and Agriculture and United States Department of Agriculture

Information compiled from California Dept. of Ag., United States Dept. of Ag., State of Victoria – Dept. of Natural Resources and Environment, and HortNET websites.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Co-Editors: Bill Hutchison (hutch002@umn.edu), Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, Jeanne Ciborowski, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Ag. Resources Management and Development Division, and Suzanne Wold-Burkness (woldx018@umn.edu), Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota

The Newsletter is published weekly from May through August, cooperatively, by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the University of Minnesota (U of MN). Reports are posted on the U of MN and MDA web sites on Fridays. If you have suggestions and/or comments, please send your contributions by 4 p.m., Wednesday to Jeanne Ciborowski, 651-201-6217, jeanne.ciborowski@state.mn.us , MDA, 625 Robert St. North, St. Paul, MN 55155. You can access the Newsletter at the U of MN web site in htm format at: www.vegedge.umn.edu/MNFruit&VegNews/mnindex.htm and at the MDA web site in pdf format at: www.mda.state.mn.us/plants/pestmanagement/ipm/ipmnews.htm

Partial funding for this publication is provided through partnership agreements with the Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (MFVGA) and the United States Department of Agriculture – Risk Management Agency (RMA). These institutions are equal opportunity providers.

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Last Revised May, 2007 by woldx018@umn.edu
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