EN · large fruit-tree tortrix
DE · Eschenzwieselwickler
PL · zwójka rdzaweczka
Larvae can be found from July to early May and are polyphagous, feeding on trees and shrubs, such as apple (
Malus species), pear (
Pyrus species), cherry, plum (
Prunus species) and sometimes conifers (Coniferae). Larvae feed on both surfaces of the leaf for a few days, before dispersing, when they spin a fine web and feed on the underside of a leaf. On first ecdysis, the larvae feed on the skin of the fruit, spinning a leaf for shelter. They continue to feed until the fruit is picked, or falls to the ground, and overwinter in a silken hibernaculum on a twig. In the spring, as a fourth instar, they feed on the opening buds, often boring into them, and later between two or more spun leaves. They pupate in the larval habitation.