Orange Tortrix, Argyrotaenia citrana

Argyrotaenia citrana, Orange Tortrix is a economic pest of citrus.  It is distributed in south western United States, Far West and Canada. The orange tortrix is polyphagous occurring on a broad range of coniferous hosts including Douglas-fir, western hemlock, pine, grand fir, Sitka spruce. It is also infests  a broad range of hardwood and herbaceous hosts.

Pheromone for Orange Tortrix, Argyrotaenia citrana

Russell IPM manufactures and supplies pheromone lures, traps and complete monitoring systems for Argyrotaenia citrana, Orange Tortrix. Pheromone trap data gives early warning of the infestation and also exhibits the density of the insect population.

Biology of Argyrotaenia citrana

Mature larva to 15 mm long. Head, brownish yellow with black lateral stripe. Body, yellowish brown above the spiracular line and light creamy yellow below. Each abdominal segment marked with two pairs of faint subdorsal creamy yellow spots. The larvae are straw to light green caterpillars with brown heads. When disturbed, they wiggle backward and drop to the ground on a silken thread. The orange tortrix overwinters as larvae, and there are two to four generations each year in coastal areas.

Nature of Damage

Larvae feed on leaves and buds. They also cause shallow feeding injury on the surface of fruits, especially where two fruit are touching. Leaves webbed together to form protective cases indicate their presence.

Pheromone application guidelines

The following notes are guidelines of general nature and meant to give the user a head start in implementing pheromone monitoring programme. Local conditions and practices can very and can lead to customisation of the programme. 

Trap selection

The Deltra trap  is most sensitive trap to use for monitoring this insect. However, Moth catcher  may be used in dusty condition or in high moth population density. Do not re-use the trap to monitor different insects as this may lead to mixed catches.

Trap density

Two traps per hectare ( 2traps / ha ) for small holdings and in field of uneven topography. One trap for every two hectares of large scale fields of homogenous lands.

Trap position

Near the highest point of the plant using supporting posts approximately 1 meter high or higher if the crop is higher.

Trap data and interpretation

Collect date weekly from the start of the flight of the over wintering generation. During the height of the population more frequent reading may be needed. Decisions on pesticide application should not be taken solely on the trap catch data. Climatic and biological considerations should be taken in account

Lures

Lures can be changed every 4-6 weeks to get the most accurate results.

Lures handling 

Pheromone lures are very sensitive tool. They can be affected by exposure to elevated heat and direct sunshine. Direct touching by hand may cause cross contamination leading to mixed catches in the trap. Some contaminants such as Nicotine may have repellent effect reducing trap catch.

Lure Storage

Cool dry place. Shelf life can very from 3-36 months depending on the storage temperature.  See Technical Data Sheet for further details.