The Round Headed Apple Borer is a deadly (to apple) pest in organic apple orchards of the North East. In conventional orchards where potent insecticides are regularly sprayed during May and June, and where a trunk spray with an organophosphate is an option should the borer get out of control, this pest is a minor problem.

In organic orchards, Round Headed Apple Borer can easily become established, especially in wooded areas. The adult beetle lays eggs just above the soil line in June. They soon hatch and spend two years feeding on the cambium tissue in the truck creating devastating galleries. One or two can easily girdle a young tree to death.

In our experience kaolin clay, neem oil and other organic repellent strategies have been largely ineffective.  The surest way to rid your orchard of borers is to hunt them down with a knife. In this video, Celia shows how.