NOW Monitor
NAVEL ORANGE WORM
NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2008
Trap Capture in 2007:
The author of this newsletter plus several other cooperators kept trap counts in almonds, walnuts, figs and pistachios in 2007. Follow this link to the 2007 trap capture data. We will do the same for 2008.
Commentary on the 2007 Season:
Overall the population of Navel Orange Worms (NOW) were low in 2007. On all of the orchards trapped the level of nut or fruit infestation at harvest was minimal. We do understand 2007 overall was a light year for NOW infestation on almonds and figs. Some pistachio orchards did have high levels of NOW damage.
Why was 2007 a low year for NOW ? It is difficult to say. It may be connected with the very low rainfall the San Joaquin Valley received in 2006/2007. It may be connected to the extreme heat in July of 2006 (although our trap counts in the summer and autumn of 2006 were not low).
NOW Monitor Lure Improvements in 2008:
We are constantly trying to improve the effectiveness of NOW Monitor. Last autumn in limited tests we have a lure that caught 5 to 10 times more male NOW moths and the present lure system. We are going to test this lure throughly this year and may offer it in 2009 as a replacement for the present lure.
We understand the problem with zero or very low trap counts and how that makes the Pest Control Advisor unsure about the status of NOW in his/her orchard. At this time we are confident that capturing low numbers of male NOW Moths, or zero male moths, is a good indicator of low resident male NOW populations in an orchard.
Please contact us with any questions you may have.