On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 17:12:11 +0000, Geoff wrote:

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?

No, but I'm listening with interest.

Victorias seem especially vulnerable.

Our Czar has fruited well (although we had to fight the wasps for most of
the fruit).

Our Gage is having a very good year and doesn't seem to be troubled by
parasites.

Our Victoria is bowed down by the weight of fruit, but most of it seems to
have been 'got at'.

I have never (so far) sprayed anything but if there is something which can
get a clean crop of Victorias I might be open to suggestion.

Turning to the dark side.

Dave R