Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana)
Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) is a native pest of Australia and has been introduced into India, New Caledonia,
New Zealand, and the United Kingdom (CAB International, 2005). The insect was reported in Hawaii in the late 1800s and in
March 2007 the first find of light brown apple moth (LBAM), (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), on the US mainland occurred in
California where a private citizen near Berkeley in Alameda County reported that two suspect moths had been captured
in a blacklight trap on his property.
LBAM is a polyphagous pest and has a host range in excess of 150 plant genera in over 70 families, including
nursery stock, cut flowers, stone fruit (peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, and apricots), pome fruit
(apples and pears), grapes, and citrus. In Australia there are generally three generations per year and
damage is caused by larval feeding on the foliage, buds, shoots, and fruits of host plants (Wearing et al., 1991).
Fruit damage has the greatest economic impact. The larvae feed mainly on the fruit surface, often where a leaf is
tied to the fruit or between fruits, which causes the formation of large irregular blemishes (Wearing et al., 1991).
Ohio contains many of the primary and secondary hosts of LBAM, including apple, pear, peach, plum, nectarine, cherry,
grape, blackberry, blueberry, and numerous nursery stock hosts. Although Ohio's climate puts it in the low risk
category for potential LBAM establishment (USDA plant hardiness zones 5-6), the presence of suitable hosts and local
microclimates, especially in the extreme southern part of the state, makes this survey worthwhile. In 2008, 50 Jackson
delta traps were placed in 25 nurseries throughout the state and monitored over the course of the summer.
No LBAM detections were made.
2008 Survey Results
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