Summer Fruit Tortrix

Adoxophyes orana

1. Identification

• Common name: Summer fruit tortrix moth
• Scientific name: Adoxophyes orana Fischer von Röslerstamm
• Order: Lepidoptera
• Family: Tortricidae

2. Pest description

• Yellowish-green caterpillars, with a brown head, reaching 15–20 mm.
• Adults with yellowish-brown forewings, displaying darker transverse patterns; wingspan of 18–22 mm.
• Caterpillars build shelters by rolling leaves with silk, where they feed protected.
• Important species in temperate-climate fruit trees, with significant damage to leaves and fruits.

3. Main hosts

• Apple tree.
• Pear, plum, peach and other stone fruits and pome fruits.
• Various wild shrub species.

4. Symptoms and damage

• Leaves rolled and bound together by silken threads, containing caterpillars inside.
• Perforations and superficial galleries in young fruits.
• Aesthetic damage and loss of commercial value of the fruits.
• Reduced tree vigour under intense attacks.

5. Biological cycle

• Eggs deposited in overlapping batches on the upper side of the leaves.
• Caterpillars hatch and build leaf shelters where they feed.
• Pupation occurs inside the shelters or in the foliage.
• Adults emerge in spring and summer; generally two annual generations, with a third possibly occurring in warm years.

6. Monitoring

• Observation of rolled leaves and presence of caterpillars inside.
• Pheromone traps for detecting adults and determining flight peaks.
• Assessment of damage to young fruits, especially after the main flights.
• Phenological monitoring to adjust the timing of interventions.

7. Management measures

• Cultural: removal of heavily attacked leaves and destruction of initial outbreaks.
• Preventive: regular monitoring of orchards and integration with phenological models.
• Biological: application of Bacillus thuringiensis during the early caterpillar stages.
• Integrated protection: defining intervention thresholds, judicious use of authorised insecticides and synchronisation with the flight peaks detected by traps.

Bibliographic references

• CABI – Invasive Species Compendium – Adoxophyes orana.
• EPPO Global Database – Adoxophyes orana.
• Alford, D. V. (2007). Pest and Disease Management Handbook. Blackwell Publishing.
• Dickler, E. et al. (1991). Biology and control of the summer fruit tortrix. Journal of Applied Entomology, 111, 1–15.
• Charmillot, P.‑J. et al. (2000). Monitoring and management of tortricid pests in fruit crops. IOBC/WPRS Bulletin, 23, 45–52.