**Quince Moths** generally refers to moth species whose larvae (caterpillars) infest quince fruit. Most commonly, this is the **Codling Moth** (*Cydia pomonella*), the most important pest of apples, pears, and quinces globally. The conflict is severe fruit contamination: the larvae bore directly into the fruit, often tunneling to the core, leaving behind **frass (feces)** and causing the fruit to become rotten, inedible, and unsuitable for market (the classic “wormy apple”).
Taxonomy and Classification
Codling Moths (and related fruit-infesting moths) belong to the order Lepidoptera (Moths and Butterflies). They undergo complete metamorphosis. The larva is the destructive stage, tunneling into the developing fruit shortly after it hatches from the egg.
Physical Description
The destructive larvae are 1/2 to 3/4 inch long.
- **Larva (Key ID):** Creamy-white or pinkish caterpillar with a dark brown head, found tunneling inside the fruit core.
- **Adult Moth:** Small, mottled gray-brown moth that is inconspicuous and nocturnal. They are often identified by a coppery-brown spot near the tip of the forewing.
- **Damage Sign (Key ID):**
- **Frass Entry:** A small, discolored hole plugged with reddish-brown frass (feces) on the fruit surface.
- **Internal Damage:** Extensive tunneling and feeding damage near the core, visible when the fruit is cut open.
- **Conflict:** Fruit contamination and destruction.
Distribution and Habitat
Codling Moths are cosmopolitan in temperate fruit-growing regions. Their habitat is the bark of the host tree (where they overwinter) and the developing fruit (where the larvae feed).
Behavior and Conflict
The conflict is widespread economic loss due to fruit contamination.
- **Hidden Pest:** The larvae spend almost their entire feeding life protected inside the fruit, making chemical control difficult.
- **Life Cycle:** They can have multiple generations per year, requiring control efforts throughout the growing season.
- **Management Standard:** Codling moth control is the primary driver for most insecticide spraying schedules in commercial pome fruit (apple/pear) orchards.
Management and Prevention
Control is integrated pest management (IPM), relying heavily on pheromone disruption and timed chemical application.
- Use pheromone traps to capture adult male moths. This determines the timing of moth flights and the optimal moment to apply controls (when eggs are laid and before larvae enter the fruit).
- Dispense high levels of synthetic female pheromones throughout the orchard to confuse the males and prevent successful mating.
- Apply the biological insecticide *Bacillus thuringiensis* (Bt) or a contact/residual insecticide, timed precisely to hit the newly hatched larvae on the fruit surface before they bore inside.
Conservation and Research
Quince/Codling Moths are managed as severe, high-priority agricultural pests. Research focuses on developing host-plant resistance, optimizing sterile insect techniques, and improving the efficiency of the highly successful pheromone mating disruption programs.