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Old 08-06-2007, 02:40 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening
Charlie Pridham Charlie Pridham is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 412
Default Worms in my pears


"rehn" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Jun 8, 8:22 am, "Charlie Pridham"
wrote:
"Jim Jackson" wrote in message

... rehn

wrote:
I have small white worms in my pears. After a while they go black

and
fall off. This has happen for several years now. Don't know what to
do. Any suggestions ?


Image:
http://hem.bredband.net/b233107/pear.JPG


It's probably Pear Midge. We get it some years - someyears it is very

bad.
Sorry but I've no suggestions as to what to do about it.


Jim


It is definitely Pear midge damage.
We have pear midge on a Williams Pear, could never control it so asked

the
RHS pest dept! there are apparently no approved chemical sprays, they
suggested the removal of all effected pears (obviously have much smaller
pear trees than us!) but the other advice was better, plant different
varieties as pear midge is a very short season pest and if a pear

flowers
just a week or two later it can escape damage and this has proved the

case
as a nearby 'Conference' is unaffected.
You can also break the cycle by preventing the falling pearlets from
reaching the ground, as those little white maggots have to overwinter in

the
ground to complete the life cycle.
I have to admit that we always get some pears on the Williams despite

pear
midge and as they don't keep I am not sure what we would do with the

surplus
:~)
--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea



Thanks for info.
Have checked for Pear midge on the net and it is definitely what I
have.
What I will try is to catch the falling pears in a net, the kind net
that are used to harvest olives.
What worries me is that I read somewhere the maggots might leave the
pears before the fell, so maybe I have to put something on the ground
too.
One others thing I also found out is that it might help to cover the
ground in the spring. If I use all possible means I might break their
life cycle.

Regards
John Rehn

Let us know next year how its gone.

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea