Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) population dynamics and host range surrounding nurseries in central California

Light brown apple moth (LBAM) populations were monitored with selective pheromone and non-selective bait traps on the perimeters of 8 nursery and berry production sites in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.  Native plants and weeds were also monitored on these perimeters for infestations of LBAM larvae. LBAM hosts were identified and the frequency of detection was quantified.  For 2011 and 2012, there was a relatively synchronized peak moth emergence in early November in all monitored areas. There were a total of 26 different host species identified with the greatest numbers of larvae found on Coyote Bush (Baccharis pilularis) (19%), French broom (Genista monspessulana)(16%), Dovefoot geranium (Geranium molle)(12%), Buckhorn plantain (Plantago lanceolata)(8%) and wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum)(8%). A website contains current population data and other information that growers could reasonably predict the presence of adult emergence, egg laying, and subsequent life stages in the field.   It can be accessed through the UC Cooperative Extension Santa Cruz homepage:  http://cesantacruz.ucanr.edu/.