The Moth That Ate the Valley: Kennewick’s First Scientific Defense Against Crop Destruction
In 1914, a Yakima entomologist launched an exhaustive three-year study of the codling moth, tracking its life cycle from Ellensburg to Kennewick. It was the Northwest’s first enterprise of its kind, aiming to save the region's fruit industry from ruin.
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An exhaustive study of the life cycle of the codling moth is being made by C. J. DaVise of North Yakima, under the auspices of the Yakima Valley Fruit Growers’ association. It will continue three years, and will include records of climatological conditions and of the blossoming of the apple orchards in all parts of the valley from Ellensburg to Kennewick. When completed it will furnish a definite guide for spraying and other measures of protection against this pest. This is the first enterprise of this character undertaken in the northwest, although similar studies have been made in some parts of the eastern fruit districts.
While modern agriculture relies on sophisticated integrated pest management and genetic research, the fundamental threat remains: a single invasive insect can devastate local economies. This 1914 effort highlights how early Washington farmers recognized that survival depended not just on planting, but on understanding the microscopic enemies in their soil—a struggle that continues today with pests like the spotted lanternfly.
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