Apple sawfly (Hoplocampa testudinea) – pest management

apple sawfly pest management

The apple sawfly (Hoplocampa testudinea) is native to Europe but it has been accidentally introduced into North America where it became invasive. 

Description. The adult has a yellow body, with a redhead and antennae. The thorax and legs are yellow. The body length is 6-7 mm. The larva is gray-yellow, with a reddish-brown head.

Biology and ecology. The apple sawfly produces only one generation per year and overwinters in the soil at depths of 5-15 cm, as a fully developed larva, in a silk cocoon. The female lays an egg, in an incision made with the ovipositor in the receptacle, in the calyx area. The larvae hatch in May and go to the surface of the fruit, initially consuming only the peel, then penetrating the fruit and consuming the seeds.

Attacked plants and damages. It attacks the apple fruits that display superficial galleries in the calyx area. Following the attack, the fruits remain small and fall off.

Control. In autumn or spring, the soil has to be dug around the trees, to bring the cocoons to the surface and expose them to the weather and various predators. When the infested fruit fall, they must be gathered daily and destroyed. The treatments have to be carried out when there is a warning, with specific insecticides.

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