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University of California Cooperative Extension Ventura County
669 County Square Drive, Suite 100
Ventura, CA 93003
Phone: 805.645.1451
Fax: 805.645.1474
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The office will be closed for the following holidays:
November 28-29 - Thanksgiving Holiday
December 24-25 - Christmas Holiday
December 31 - January 1 - New Year Holiday
Orange Worms
The orange tortrix is a half-inch long worm at maturity. It is well adapted to cool coastal areas and may produce 2-3 generations per year. The first generation larva roll leaves and feed on the tissue inside the roll. The next generations feed on leaves and young fruit and finally on the mature fruit. They may eat holes into the rind and even into the flesh as the fruit matures.
The omnivorous leafroller is also about a half-inch long at maturity. It too uses silk to tie together small fruit and roll leaves and feed on them. As the fruit matures, this small worm will attack the fruit rind, scaring it, and chewing holes into the flesh.
The Amorbia is about an inch long at maturity, can chew areas of the fruit rind, scarring and making holes. At times, the chewing wounds will be contaminated by bacteria or fungi, which cause a portion or the whole fruit to rot.
In a garden situation, the scaring and loss of a few fruit are usually not sufficient cause to spray the tree to control these insects. Most of the scared fruit can be peeled and is still good and safe to eat. If, however, large numbers of fruit are spoiled, usually a spray applied in late July or August, will suppress the population to very low levels and keep fruit damage to a minimum. Always use plant protection products as recommended on the package label.