Apple fruit moth forecast

The apple fruit moth can be a serious pest in apples, but only in years when there are not enough egg-laying sites in rowan berries. The apple fruit moth hatches from overwintering pupae in the spring, and to assess the risk of an attack, one must know both how many rowan berries there were the previous year and how many rowan berries there are relative to the apple fruit moth this year.

The forecast for attacks is calculated for more than 50 weather stations distributed across all fruit districts (see map). The apple fruit moth forecast is a collaboration between local advisors in the fruit districts and NIBIO.

Because the development of the apple fruit moth depends on temperature, the development rate and timing of measures can vary between different districts. To assess the timing, you must have noted when the rowan was in full bloom and calculate the heat sum after that.

You can read more about the apple fruit moth in Plantevernleksikonet and more about the warning model here, or in the information letter VIPS Rognebærmøll.

General messages about forecasts, development, and measures can be found here.

Messages