The codling moth remains the key pest of concern throughout the region, while the window for control of San Jose scale and preventive control of European red mite remains open.
WNC Orchard Insect Pest Update - May 5, 2026
(Updated: May 6, 2026, 10:02 a.m.)
Codling Moth
As of May 4, codling moth degree-day (DD) accumulations were at 286 and 476 in Henderson and Cleveland Counties, respectively. This equates to about 3% egg hatch of the first generation in Henderson County and 15% in Cleveland County. In orchards with a recent history of moderate to high populations, an initial insecticide application should have already been made. In orchards NOT using mating disruption and with a history of low populations, an initial application is recommended at about 350 DD, which in Henderson County is predicted to occur Saturday (May 9). In orchards where mating disruption is regularly used and populations are low (and where pheromone trap monitoring has confirmed low populations), an insecticide application should be made between 500-600 DD, which will control tufted apple bud moth (TABM) and provide insurance against any late-emerging codling moths.
In lower elevation orchards, 500 DD will occur this week, so an insecticide active against codling moth and TABM should be considered sometime in the next week.
San Jose Scale
In Henderson County and locations of similar or higher elevation, we are on the tail end of the window for San Jose scale (SJS) crawler stage control. To reduce the risk of insecticide resistance, remember to annually rotate insecticides with different modes of action. Also, if Assail was used as a first cover spray for codling moth, that will provide good control of SJS.
European Red Mite
Preventive chemical control of European red mite (ERM) is usually applied between first and second cover spray, but timing can be extended as long as mite populations remain low – e.g., less than one per leaf. As mentioned in last week’s post, populations of predatory mites have been high in many orchards in recent years, and as long as you are willing to allow peak mite populations of 3 to 5 mites/leaf, biological control alone will provide this level of control.
Learn more about southeastern apple insect pests at the Apple Insect Management page.
2026 Average Weekly Trap Captures - Henderson County
| Insects per trap | ||||||
| Insect | Mar 30 | Apr 6 | Apr 13 | Apr 20 | Apr 27 | May 4 |
| Codling moth | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| Oriental fruit moth | 107.0 | 125.0 | 58.0 | 44.5 | 21.0 | 7.0 |
| Tufted apple bud moth | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 14.0 |
| Redbanded leafroller | 22.0 | 3.0 | 23.0 | 13.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| Obliquebanded leafroller | - | set | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Lesser appleworm | - | - | set | 2.0 | 6.0 | 8.0 |
| Apple maggot (research orchard) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Apple maggot (abandoned orchard) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Brown marmorated stink bug (commercial) | set | 5.0 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Brown marmorated stink bug (unsprayed) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Spotted tentiform leafminer | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Dogwood borer | - | - | 0.0 | 8.0 | 36.0 | 25.0 |
| Peachtree borer | - | - | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Lesser peachtree borer | 0.0 | 38.0 | 65.0 | 63.0 | 66.0 | 30.0 |
| San Jose scale | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
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*Note that these averages illustrate only the timing of insect emergence and fluctuations in populations, and are not representative of population levels in any given orchard. The only way to have an accurate assessment of an individual orchard’s populations is to set up traps in that orchard.
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2026 Degree Days - Henderson County
| Accumulated Degree Days | ||||
| Insect | Apr 20 | Apr 27 | May 4 | |
| Codling moth (Biofix Apr 11) | 112 | 184 | 247 | |
| Oriental fruit moth (Biofix Mar 21) | 429 | 527 | 620 | |
| Tufted apple bud moth (Biofix Apr 17) | 29 | 126 | 219 | |
