Stock photo of apples damaged by codling moth infestation (ID 122684929 © Sarah2 | Dreamstime.com)

By Liam Verster

Codling Moth Protections

Sterile insect program helped protect Okanagan orchards, but more can be done

Jan 21, 2026 | 1:32 PM

The agency that helps protect apple, pear and fruit growers from codling moth infestations said 2025 was a good year, but did fall a bit short of their target.

The Okanagan Sterile Insect Program board of directors said it worked with growers and residents across the region to keep codling moth populations at low levels.

“Over half the orchards have no detectable codling moths and 86 per cent had extremely low levels of infested fruit,” the board report stated.

“The program fell just short of its target of >90 per cent of the acreage of pome fruit having ≤0.2 per cent infested by the codling moth this year.”

The report went on to say there was no single cause identified for increased moth damage in 2025, stating only that “different circumstances contributed to the increases or decreases in codling moth damage in each region of the program.”

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Through the sterile insect releases, the program was able to reduce the number of traps used for codling moths across the Okanagan from about 3,000 to around 2,500, marking a decline of 15 per cent. The board added that the overall number of moths caught was down, but only because fewer traps were used, noting the average number of wild moths caught per trap, per week, was nearly exactly the same in 2025 as it was the year prior.

The worst 10 per cent of orchards involved in this program also accounted for almost 55 per cent of the wild moths captured in the most recent reporting year.

The agency that oversees the program said it would continue its work in 2026, including both at commercial orchards and at residential properties with apple and pear trees.