Thread: Plum moths
View Single Post
  #1   Report Post  
Old 23-08-2005, 06:12 PM
Geoff
 
Posts: n/a
Default Plum moths

My ninety year old neighbour to whom I gave some runner beans invited me to
help myself to the victoria plums in her garden which she is now unable to
harvest. I picked a nice lot and she had most. They looked super. I
washed one and bit into it and there was this little pink caterpillar
sitting in its excrement winking at me. It really turned my stomach! I cut
the rest in halves and they were all inhabited! I'm glad my wife didn't
suggest plum jam!!

The RHS Encyclopedia of Gardening details the use some nasty sounding
chemical sprays twice. It also says that the use of pheremone traps in late
spring to reduce the males enables more accurately timed sprays. It adds,
if you'll forgive my paraphrasing, that the use of traps alone can reduce
the population copulation and result in more maggot free plums.

Does anybody have experience in dealing with plum moths?

Can anybody recommend the best traps for me to use next year on my now
established plum and gage trees?

Thanks

Geoff