Codling moth

Definition

A small tortricid moth, Cydia pomonella, whose larvae bore into developing pome fruits—especially apples and pears—rendering them unmarketable and serving as a textbook example of an internal-feeding agricultural pest. Adults are grayish with coppery wing markings; larvae are pinkish-white caterpillars that tunnel to the fruit core, leaving characteristic frass-filled galleries and providing entry points for rot organisms.

Etymology

From "codling," a dialect term for a small or unripe apple, reflecting the moth's association with immature fruit.

Example

In integrated pest management programs, pheromone mating disruption is widely used against codling moth to reduce insecticide applications in apple orchards.

Synonyms

• codlin moth
• apple worm (larva)

Related Terms

• Tortricidae
• Cydia
• internal feeder
• pheromone trap
• Mating disruption
• apple maggot
• Frass
• Integrated Pest Management
• orchard pest

Usage Notes

The common name refers specifically to Cydia pomonella, though "codling moth" is occasionally misapplied to other Cydia species. Larvae are often called "apple worms" by growers, but this term also applies to other fruit-boring larvae; specificity requires using "codling moth larva." The species is globally distributed in temperate fruit-growing regions and remains the key pest against which most apple IPM programs are designed.