Leafroller (Orange tortrix)
10 host plants
Last updated
Orange tortrix caterpillars create folded leaf shelters on holly foliage, feeding within the protected webbed area. You notice the distinctive rolled or folded leaves connected with silk webbing on branch terminals and younger growth. The small caterpillars remain hidden within their shelters; unrolling affected leaves reveals the pale larvae. Damage to foliage is typically light and cosmetic unless populations are exceptionally heavy.
Remove affected leafroller shelters by hand during early to mid-summer before caterpillars develop. For landscape plantings with light infestations, manual removal is practical and effective. Monitor young holly plants starting in late April for shelter formation. If chemical intervention is needed, spinosad or neem oil applied to visible shelters targets caterpillars.
Quick Reference
Cultural Controls
- biological control Very low temperatures in winter significantly reduce overwintering populations.
- Spiders and parasitic/predatory insects greatly reduce leafroller populations throughout the year.
- Management-cultural control Removal of overwintering sites, such as rolled leaves on the ground or plastered to canes, can reduce next year's population.
- Proper pruning and training of canes can reduce leafroller populations.
- Avoid use of broad-spectrum insecticides which can disrupt natural...