Apple IPM for Beginners
Deborah Breth, Integrated Pest Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program

Pest management can be a complex system in perennial crops such as apples and other tree fruits. "Apple IPM (Integrated Pest managment) for Beginners" is an excellent guide for new growers who want to grow apples, or want to be more familiar with managing pests in apple plantings. Even growers who have been farming all their lives may know someone coming into the business that can learn from this guide and improve the quality of apples produced. This 42-page guide will help new apple growers protect apple orchards from pests, in fact sheet format. This series of fact sheets is available in printed color format (see order form below), or in .pdfs https://blogs.cornell.edu/treefruit/ipm/apple-ipm-for-beginners/ It will help you address the major apple pests, but does not guarantee perfect fruit. These fact sheets and scouting guides are a compromise between the most accurate, complex information researchers have to offer and the amount of information a beginner can take in. Read the first four chapters carefully to start this new venture. Then follow the Scouting Calendar as apple stage of growth advances week-by-week. "Apple IPM for Beginners" was partially funded by Federal Smith Lever Funds. Additional full color printed copies can be ordered from CCE-Lake Ontario Fruit Program.
Apple IPM for Beginners Order Form (pdf; 354KB)
- $15 for 1 copy, $12/each for multiple copies
Upcoming Events
Advisory Committee Meeting - Program Updates
February 26, 2026
Spencerport, NY
Join the Lake Ontario Fruit Team for programming updates and goals. This meeting is your chance to shape the research priorities of our specialists and team. Your insights are vital to delivering the most valuable resources and support to the WNY apple industry.
2026 Eastern New York Fruit and Vegetable Conference
February 25 - February 26, 2026
Albany , NY
The Annual Eastern NY Fruit and Vegetable Conference is two days filled with informative sessions on Tree Fruit, Vegetables, Small Fruit, Grapes, Greenhouse and a special Food Safety Wash and Pack session! While there you can also visit with more than 50 exhibitors!
2026 Virtual Orchard Meetup Series
February 27, 2026 : Session 1 - The Impacts of Weather on Pome Fruit Quality and Storability: Lessons Learned
The Impacts of Weather on Pome Fruit Quality and Storability: Lessons from 2025 - The first meetup will be conducted live on Friday, February 27, 2026, at 10:30pm (PST)/1:30pm (EST). The webinar will last 90 minutes. The format will include brief presentations by two SPARC scientists, followed by a packer/grower panel of industry leaders across North America. The meetup will conclude with an open discussion in a very inclusive virtual format. Viewers are invited to share solutions, ask questions, and interact with scientists and panelists. The program is free of charge.
June 11, 2026 : Session 2
Details to follow.
June 18, 2026
Details to follow.
June 25, 2026 : Session 4
Details to follow.
