ruit damage study
When moths attack ripening fruit the site of
the feeding puncture on the citrus fruit's surface
will become discolored, and in a short time fungi
will develop at the site and spread outward on the
surface and throughout the fruit (Figure 5A), often
resulting in the fruit dropping prematurely (Figure
5B).
As expected, levels of seasonal fruit damage
occurred during periods of high moth activity. For
example, the highest fruit losses occurred in July
of the 1st harvest season (Table 4). These numbers
correspond with the high population numbers of
adult moths found in citrus plantation (see Figure
3).