Apple Fruit Moth

Not of concern.

There is a single brood per year, and adults appear in July or earlier (Forbes, 1923: 347).

In Canada it is recorded from British Columbia, Alberta (Edmonton, Lac La Biche) and Saskatchewan (vic. Big River), and probably exists in Manitoba (Pohl et al., in prep.). In US it is recorded form New York (Mt. Marcy, Trenton Falls) and California (Fieldbrook) (Busck, 1907: 18). Widespread in Europe, Asia and North America. The species was first introduced from Europe to North America in 1897 (British Columbia) (Covell 1984, cf. Pohl et al., in prep.).

"Wingspan 10-14 mm. Palpi, face, and head yellowish-white; frons pale brassy; antennae annulated with dark brown and pale ochreous, scrape ochreous; labial palpus ochreous, sometimes brownish. Thorax yellowish-white, sometimes deep purplish-brown anteriorly; tegula deep purplish brown. Forewings dark purplish-brown with dorsal part to tornus white; on the middle of the dorsal edge is an outwardly oblique blackish-brown streak, which lose itself in the dark costal part. Costal edge is strigulated with yellowish white, and shortly before apex is a larger white costal dash. Apical cilia blackish brown; dorsal cilia ochreous fuscous. Hindwing grayish fuscous. Legs brownish ochreous, foreleg deep brown above. Abdomen grayish fuscous (Busck 1907: 17-18; Emmet et al 1996: 84-85). Forbes (1923: 347) mentions, "A. belangerella, a closely related taxon, might be only a variety of this species". This species can be distinguished by the complete absence of golden color on wings, and its special status as a pest of apple and mountain ash, a feature not shared by other Argyresthia in Alberta. "

This species is found mainly in montane regions with mountain ash or apple.

Eggs are oval and slightly flattened, with a deeply pitted surface, and a yellowish or greenish white color. These are laid on unripe fruit of mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia) or apple (Malus spp.) in June or July. They hatch in two weeks (6-7 days in Japan). In continental Europe they are also laid on cultivated fruit trees (Emmet et al 1996: 84-85). The fully fed larva is 7 mm long, and has a pale brown head, prothoracic and anal plates. Its whitish yellow body turns pink when the larva is full-grown. After hatching, the larva bores into the fruit, eating it out and, on mountain ash, moving to another berry if necessary. Tenanted berries redden prematurely and are often spun together. The larva can be found from June to August. It takes about six weeks for the larva to become full-grown; it then descends to the ground on a silken thread (Emmet et al 1996: 84-85). In Japan, the time spent in the fruit is about 50 days. After leaving the fruit, the larva spins the cocoon, which is normally found in the earth (Moriuti, 1977). The pupa is brown, and is formed in a dense silken cocoon within a second open-network cocoon just beneath the surface of the ground, or under bark. The species overwinters in this stage, from September to May (Emmet et al 1996: 84-85). For further detailed description of larva/pupa/adult characters, see Moriuti (1977: 267-270).

The principal hosts of the larva are mountain ash (also called rowan, Sorbus aucuparia) and apple (Malus spp.

Argyresthia conjugella, the apple fruit moth, is a moth of the family Yponomeutidae. It is found in North America, Europe, Siberia, Central Asia and Japan.

The wingspan is 10–14 mm. The head is yellowish-white. Forewings are rather dark purplish-fuscous; costa strigulated with whitish; a thick white dorsal streak to tornus; an interrupted dark fuscous median fascia; one or two white costal spots before apex. Hindwings are grey. The larva is dull whitish yellow; head and plate of 2 pale brown.

Adults are on wing from May to July depending on the location.

The larvae feed on Sorbus aucuparia and Malus species.

The apple fruit moth, is seen to be a parasite for the apple growing communities in Finland, Norway, and Sweden. These moths are seed predators for the mountain-ash trees rowan. However, when there is a dip in the fruit produced by rowan every couple years in this region, the apple fruit moth finds a new host in the form of apples. Apples are not their desired host however and they communicate with the rowan seeds they prefer through odors.