What's eating my jonagold apple?

Jonagold apples are targeted by codling moth (the classic 'maggoty apple'), woolly aphid, winter moth caterpillars, and apple sawfly. Birds and deer will take ripe fruit if unprotected. Codling moth is the primary threat — larvae tunnel to the core, ruining fruit before harvest.

Larvae tunnel into developing fruit, leaving a brown entry hole filled with frass; fruit drops early or is inedible at harvest. Hang pheromone traps from late May to monitor; apply codling moth grease bands or approved insecticide (e.g., spinosad) at petal fall; remove and destroy fallen fruit promptly.

White, cotton-wool-like colonies on bark and shoots cause galls and dieback; weakens branches and opens entry points for canker. Scrub colonies off with a stiff brush; spray with insecticidal soap or pyrethrin in spring; encourage parasitic wasps by avoiding broad-spectrum sprays.

Young caterpillars shred emerging leaves and blossom trusses in spring, reducing fruit set significantly. Apply sticky grease bands around the trunk from October to prevent wingless females climbing to lay eggs; pyrethrin or Bacillus thuringiensis spray at bud burst if infestation is heavy.

Larvae cause a ribbon-like scar on the fruit surface, then tunnel to the core; affected fruitlets drop in June. Remove and dispose of infested June-drop fruit; apply an approved insecticide such as deltamethrin at petal fall targeting the short egg-hatching window.