a behavioral method of controlling apple maggot 

 flies. 



Each of the three blocks was divided in half 

 With respect to arthropods, one half was managed 

 under first-level IPM practices that involved moni- 

 toring pest abundance and weather and then apply- 

 ing pesticide as dictated by monitoring information. 

 The other half was managed as follows. 



Arthropods 



Two applications of superior oil were made be- 

 fore bloom against overwintering European red mite 

 eggs followed by two applications of phosmet or 

 azinphosmethyl against European apple sawfly and 

 plum curculio (one at petal fall in mid-May and one 

 two weeks later in late May). All unmanaged wild 

 apple trees within 100 yards of the 

 block perimeter were cut down as a 

 cultural method of controlling co- 

 dling moth by reducing or prevent- 

 ing immigration of females from 

 nearby wild host trees (very few 

 codling moth females appear to 

 disperse 100 yards or more within 

 their lifetime under northeastern 

 US conditions). Odor-baited pesti- 

 cide-treated eight-cm wooden red 

 spheres were hung five to six yards 

 apart on perimeter trees in late 

 June as a behavioral method of 

 controlling apple maggot flies. 

 Two types of odor baits were used: 

 semi-permeable membranes that 

 released the food-type attractant 

 ammonium acetate, and polyethyl- 

 ene vials that released the fruit- 

 type attractant butyl hexanoate. 

 Odor baits were hung a few inches 

 from spheres and released attrac- 

 tive odor over the entire three- 

 month period of trap use. Prior to 

 emplacement, the spheres were 

 dipped in a mixture of 40% latex 

 paint, 44% corn syrup, 15% water, 

 and 1% Cygon (dimethoate). The 

 latex paint allowed dimethoate to 

 be released very slowly on the 

 sphere surface. Periodic tests 

 showed that, provided the sphere 

 surface contained sufficient su- 

 crose as a feeding stimulant, 70% 

 or more ofalightingfiies died. This 

 was true even in late September, 



three months after initial treatment with 

 dimethoate; however, rainfall can wash away the 

 corn syrup. Without it, flies did not feed and there- 

 fore did not acquire a fatal dose of dimethoate. 

 Hence, we or the growers were obliged to dip each 

 sphere in a 20% aqueous solution of table sugar after 

 every rainfall. Following harvest, drops were re- 

 moved to decrease wi thin-orchard buildup of codling 

 moth and apple maggot. 



Diseases 



No fungicide was applied in the SRC blocks. We 

 simply eliminated fungicides from the management 

 program, in spite of the expectation that there would 

 be some damage from flyspeck and sooty blotch. 

 Most trees had not yet reached full maturity and had 



Fruit Notes, Winter, 1994 



