Text Transcript with Description of Visuals
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| Music Plays | Title card. |
| So this is a talk on codling moth trapping by Chris Adams, Assistant Professor of Tree Fruit Entomology at Oregon State University. | Title slide. Presentation title: Codling moth trapping. Author information: Dr. Christopher Adams, Oregon State University |
| Much of my previous work was on trapping theory and probabilities of catch, but for this talk I wanted to address the applied side of trapping. I wanted to start with this basic question: why trap for codling moth? What are we trying to do with trapping? I’ve listed five key things that trapping data can do, and in this talk I’ll briefly explain these five points. | Slide titled “Why trap for codling moth?” lists reasons for trapping, including monitoring for IPM, establishing biofix, estimating relative population density, measuring spray impact, and tracking later generation timing. |
| Number one, monitoring is key to IPM. | Transition slide containing the title of the section, as spoken in the audio |
| So before we get started on the why, let’s talk about how, beginning with where to hang the trap. | Transition slide containing a photo of a bright orange codling moth trap with several moths inside, along with the text “Where should you hang the trap” |
| Traps should be hung in the top third of the tree (not at eye level), within the canopy of the tree (not in between trees). The opening should not be blocked by foliage on either side, and oriented so moths could easily fly into it. The recommendations are one trap every two and a half acres. This diagram shows a paper from Helmut Riedl in 1979 demonstrating the difference in catch by trap height. | Slide contains a photo of a triangle shaped codling moth trap being placed in the top third of a tree using a long wooden pole. A diagram below this outlines the results of the mentioned study in which trap catch is highest at 3.2 meters in elevation. |
| The lures should be placed on a pin above the sticky bottom. This puts it up in the airflow moving through the trap and increases a pheromone plume structure. If the lure rolls around on the glue it reduces the lure’s efficiency | Slide contains close up photo of the lure and sticky bottom inside the codling moth trap. The lure is stuck on a pin in the center of the trap, well above the glue on the base of the trap. |
| The trapping data provides decision support. In concert with phenology models, scouting, and field experience, trapping is really the foundation of IPM. Not long ago people would spray based on the calendar. That is, they would spray based on some event, like 21 days after full bloom. Since the trees and insect pests were evolved together, this method worked okay most years, but it was often off by days or even weeks and some years, meaning sometimes sprays were applied when there were no insects or sprayed too late. Trapping gave us an improved method. Using sex pheromone lure baited traps, we could establish the first sustained catch of moths biofix, which allowed us to make better spray applications. For example, 250 degree days after biofix. | Slide contains a photo of a bright orange codling moth trap along with text outlining how trapping data provides decision support and is the foundation of IPM. |
| Traps have enabled us to establish this biofix. | Transition slide contains a large number two along with the title of this section: Establish biofix for your orchard. |
| Back in 1976, Helmut Riedl first established a phenology model for codling moth working in Michigan apple orchards. Thanks to pheromone lures, biofix, defined as the first sustained catch in a lure baited trap, indicates the beginning of the first generation of moths. | The title and author information of the mentioned study appears on screen. |
| I’m sure everyone’s aware of the Decision Aid System by Vince Jones and now run by Dave Crowder. This is an excellent tool that provides accurate predictions of key life stages and spray timings. And these models were built and confirmed using trapping data over many years. This was a huge improvement in pest management over the calendar sprays. | Slide showing an example output of the decision aid system. In this, a bar graph is shown in which cumulative codling moth degree day is compared to percentage of egg hatch, allowing the user to predict different levels of egg hatch based on degree day. |
| DAS is a great system, but we still need monitoring traps and eyes in the field. Small changes between orchards can impact the timing of populations. And pesticides spray programs may impact insect phenology. Here is one study that showed that the timings were off between a managed orchard and an abandoned orchard. I’m not suggesting that this study applies to all orchards, just that it’s important to have eyes in the field. And this study illustrates how an unmanaged block or backyard trees could produce a source of pest pressure whose timing may not line up with the current spray program that you have in your orchard. | A slide showing bullet points emphasizing the need for field monitoring alongside models, and the mentioned research paper comparing codling moth population dynamics between a commercial and abandoned apple orchard. A multi-panel graph illustrates the difference in adult emergence over cumulative degree days across orchard types. |
| So with the new no-biofix model, do we really need traps? Here are some of the arguments against trapping that we’ve heard: Low populations mean that the first moths may not be caught, incorrect trap placement may skew biofix calculations, mating disruption reduces trap catch (that’s true), and what if the weather cools down after the first catch? | Slide with orchard photos containing a highlighted question about the need for traps under a no-biofix model, and a text section outlining arguments against relying on trap data. |
| Trapping allows you to understand and confirm model predictions, even if they match perfectly. And it shows how the numbers are building and how they line up with a model. Trapping data allows you to have a high degree of certainty that the model is in sync with your orchard and that the spray recommendations will be accurate. Consistent trapping will allow you to see patterns in the population over time and assess when or if something has changed or gone wrong with the control program. If things are going well with the methods that you’re using, stick with it. But if you’re getting stings and you’re not sure why, increase increasing trapping is the first thing that you should try. | Slide titled “the importance of trapping” contains a bullet point list of positives to having trapping data as outlined in the audio. |
| Trapping is too expensive. So this math is provided by Mike Doerr, he calculated that one trapping station is about 35 a year to operate. At one trap every two and a half acres, it comes out to about fifteen dollars per acre. If you save just one spray every three years, that trapping pays for itself. So here again, if you’re not getting damaged, great. But if you have a block that is struggling, the time and money that you spend on adding some traps can easily pay for itself. | Slide with orchard photos contains a highlighted concern about the cost of trapping along with a text section outlining the cost per acre of utilizing trapping. |
| Trapping provides relative population density. | Transition slide containing a large number three along with the title of this section: Provides relative population density. |
| Estimating absolute pest density has always been the goal of insect monitoring. The current action thresholds we have are two to three moths in a trap for two consecutive weeks indicates the need for a spray for the first generation. Years of work went into these current action thresholds, and these action thresholds were established by trapping and assessing fruit injury, and they’re still effective numbers today. In fact the research in this paper that I’m showing here, shows how to estimate populations using trapping. The predictions and the calculations based on that agree and are in perfect alignment with the Jay Brunner recommendations that we currently still use. | The title and author information of the mentioned study appears on screen along with text highlighting the current action thresholds for codling moth. |
| So I believe that this is data from 100 traps placed in a 20 acre block that shows the actual catch data over a short period of time. We see that emerging populations can be unevenly distributed throughout the block. So where do you put the trap? | Slide showing a diagram of a 20-acre orchard divided into sections, showing uneven moth population densities represented by different sized blue circles. |
| Well if you put the trap here on the corner, you can see that a single trap placed in the wrong location would give an incomplete picture of actual codling moth pressure. | A trap appears in the lower right hand corner of the orchard, in an area of very low population density. |
| More traps gives a better picture, but placing traps just on the corners of the block where they’re easy to drive up to and check still misses much of the data. | Additional traps appear on the diagram, now covering only the 4 corners of the block. |
| So here we’re at one trap every two and a half acres. So some things to remember, traps should be placed in the interior of the block, not just on the edges. If you are struggling to get control in a block, it’s important to move the traps around. Get into interior of the block, identify hot spots, and sometimes it feels like as soon as you figure things out, things change. codling moth management is dynamic and it changes from year to year. If you’re catching zeros or low numbers and you’re still getting stings, you need to change tactics. Increase the number of traps or change trap locations. Research has shown that one trap every the two and a half acres gives you the best measure of codling moth populations. | Additional traps appear on the diagram, now covering the whole block at a distribution of one every two and a half acres. |
| What about hand applied mating disruption? So here the red dots indicate hand applied mating disruption lures that are competing with the females and with the traps. So all things being equal, you should expect to catch less in a mating disruption orchard. Using the 10x lure should make traps more attractive without changing action thresholds. Remember mating disruption works best when populations are low, so find and control hot spots in the orchard for mating disruption to work most efficiently | Lines of red dots appear across the diagram representing hand applied mating disruption dispensers. |
| What about mating disruption with aerosol emitters? Aerosol emitters put out large volumes of pheromone, and we have shown that they shut down traps downwind for many meters. These datasets are from a walnut orchard with some work done in California. And you can see how the black dots represent the traps, and you can see how the aerosol emitter shut down actually most of those traps to the right. | Slide contains a map of and orchard block displaying moth abundance as a color gradient, with trap locations, a pheromone puffer, and wind direction indicated. |
| It’s important to remember that these emitters are still disrupting moths through competitive attraction, so they are not dead, they are not overwhelmed with pheromone, and they’re still out there searching for females. Here they show high catch numbers upwind of this trap. | A area of high moth catch is circled and a text bubble appears highlighting that the moths are not dead. |
| I show a paper here by Dr. Pete McGhee that shows that aerosol emitters are still a competitive trapping mechanism. So it’s still a numbers game. It’s important to remember. | A research paper’s title and author information appears below the map of the orchard block. |
| So monitoring traps should not be placed downwind of aerosol emitters. If you have a block and you’re getting zeros in the monitoring trap, but you’re still getting stings, you may want to relocate that trap. They need to be placed upwind of the aerosol emitters. And this data out here is not real, the heat map that they’ve drawn from the zero mark there, the next set of traps is 800 feet away, and there’s no actual data in between there. So my point is that you don’t need to be 800 feet away from that aerosol emitter, if you hang a trap just one row, or one or two rows upwind of that aerosol emitter, we have seen this in our research that you will get catch in that monitoring trap. | Two monitoring traps appear on the map, one upwind of the aerosol emitter and one downwind of the aerosol emitter. The downwind trap is crossed out, indicating that it’s placement is incorrect. |
| Traps can measure the impact of spray programs. | Transition slide containing a large number four along with the title of this section: Measure impact of sprays. |
| Trapping and scouting are critical for assessing efficacy of controls. You can see here in this picture that the distance from where the egg hatched to the entry hole can be extremely small. This distance is the window for larvicides to be effective. So even if you do everything perfectly, there’s still a chance that you can get injury. | Slide titled “Coverage is critical”. On the right is a close up image of a newly hatched codling moth larva next to the remains of its egg and a small entry hole on the fruit. There is an annotation indicating the short distance between them. |
| Coverage is critical. An incomplete spray coverage can definitely lead to damage. This picture is trees that were sprayed with a fluorescent marker and they’re being viewed under a black light, and you can see that this apple on the right did not get hit with a spray and is likely going to lead to damage. So trapping and scouting can help identify these kind of problems and help you react in real time. | Two images appear showing spray application and resulting coverage: an orchard sprayer in use and fruit viewed under blacklight with the fluorescent spray visible. One of the apples is circled and does not show fluorescence, indicating uneven spray coverage. |
| And finally, traps can monitor the size and the timing of later generations. | Transition slide containing a large number 5 along with the title of this section: Monitor timings of later generations. |
| The model is still an excellent tool but pesticide sprays and unusual weather can sometimes skew the actual amount of flight from predicted. This is just two unusual years. This is data from Mike Doerr. In this instance, modern traps can alert you to the fact that the timings are off and give you an opportunity to adjust in real time. | A line graph compares predicted and observed second generation codling moth flight, showing moths per trap versus degree-days. The prediction line peaks earlier than the observed 2001 and 2002 data, which show later and differing peak patterns. |
| You know here in the Pacific Northwest, typically we’ve had two and a half generations per year. With warmer weather we’re now closer to a third full generation. Predicting the size of the third generation can provide information about next year’s price pressure and tell you how successful this year’s spray program was. | A slide titled late season trapping contains a chart of codling moth life history with peaks for larvae, pupae, adult, and egg generations. A bullet point list highlights the typical generations per year along with outlining the potential for a 3rd generation in warm years. |
| The take home message for today’s talk is: trapping and scouting are critical for integrated pest management, measuring biofix, estimating populations, measuring the impact of sprays, monitoring the timing, and the size of later generations. And most importantly gets you out in the field, and trapping can be fun. Here’s a little picture of Larry Gut with his son when he was just a little one. | Slide titled “Take Home” contains a bullet point list of key messages as outlined in the audio along with a photograph of a man holding his son up to look into a moth trap which is suspended in a tree. |
| I’m happy to take any questions and I appreciate you listening to this talk. Thanks. | Title slide for presentation reappears on screen. |
| Music Plays | Credits for talk and video production roll. |
Link to YouTube video: Codling Moth-Trapping
