Plum Curculio – Art Agnello

Plum curculio adult

The plum curculio (PC) is a native pest of apples and stone fruits in eastern North America. The adult damages fruit by its feeding and oviposition. This insect has adapted well to cultivated tree fruits throughout its range in eastern North America and is a key pest in cherry, apple and peach production. Most apple orchards in the northeastern US and Canada are treated every year with insecticides to control this pest; growers typically apply 2–3 insecticide treatments to manage plum curculio each year, but fruit damage levels and fruit yield losses in conventional commercial apple production can range from 0.5–3%, even with a complete insecticide control program. Our program has focused on different strategies for optimizing pesticide sprays for this pest, including the use of attractant-baited trap trees, oviposition models, and alternative tactics such as biological control using entomopathogenic nematodes.