Leaf Rollers

Larvae are typically slender caterpillars, often green, brown, or cream, found within a rolled or tied leaf shelter held together with silk strands. Adults are small, bell-shaped moths, usually mottled brown or grey, that rest with wings folded flat.

Signs of infestation include rolled or webbed-together leaves, skeletonised or chewed foliage visible when a shelter is unrolled, and, in some species, surface scarring on developing fruit near larval feeding sites.

Leaf rollers develop through complete metamorphosis — egg, larva, pupa, and adult — with several generations possible per season depending on species and climate. Overwintering typically occurs as larvae or pupae sheltered in bark crevices or leaf litter.

Adults communicate through species-specific sex pheromones, a trait exploited both for population monitoring with pheromone traps and for mating-disruption control strategies in orchards.

Feeding within rolled leaves reduces photosynthetic leaf area, and in species that also attack fruit, surface feeding can scar or blemish fruit skin, reducing marketable quality even when overall yield loss is modest.

Host crops include apple, grape, and pear, among other fruit crops affected by particular tortricid species.

Pheromone traps are widely used to track adult moth flight activity and time management decisions, often combined with growing-degree-day models and visual scouting for rolled-leaf shelters.

Leaf roller management fits within integrated pest management, combining several tactics rather than relying on any single approach.

• Conserve parasitoid wasps, predatory bugs, and birds
• Use pheromone-based mating disruption where established for the region and crop
• Monitor with pheromone traps and degree-day models to time interventions
• Remove or manage overwintering sites such as leaf litter and loose bark where practical