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

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

In article , David W.E.
Roberts writes
On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 17:12:11 +0000, Geoff wrote:


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.


Last year, I used the pheromone trap and had virtually no saw fly
infestation at all.

This year, one of the Vics is fully laden - and most of the plums have
maggots in them:(

I didn't use the pheromone trap this year...

Might not be a fully valid selection - but I'll be using the pheromone
trap again next year.

I also use the codling moth pheromone trap for the apples which seems to
work too - although luckily, I haven't tested it by not using it this
year:)

HTH

--
regards andyw

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?

Last year, I used the pheromone trap and had virtually no saw fly
infestation at all.

This year, one of the Vics is fully laden - and most of the plums have
maggots in them:(

I didn't use the pheromone trap this year...


Fair enough and thanks for answering, but what particular make of trap(s)
did you use please? Have you tried using two pheromones in one trap? If
so, was it effective?

Geoff

"Geoff" wrote in message
...

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?

Last year, I used the pheromone trap and had virtually no saw fly
infestation at all.

This year, one of the Vics is fully laden - and most of the plums have
maggots in them:(

I didn't use the pheromone trap this year...


Fair enough and thanks for answering, but what particular make of trap(s)
did you use please? Have you tried using two pheromones in one trap? If
so, was it effective?

Geoff



Geoff
We had a lot of rotting plums last year which we assume were down to codling
moths, so we started using Agralan brand pheromone traps at at the end of
June (one pheromone capsule at a time) - last year we were losing 9 out of
10 plums, now it's only 1 in 10.
We assume it is the traps, but it could always be the weather....

Mike

"Geoff" wrote in message
...
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



Geoff - we were losing about 9 out of 10 plums to moths last year, and were
getting seriously bothered by the wasps attracted by the rotting fruit. We
put an Agralan brand pheromone trap in place in june, and so far we are only
losing about 1 in 10 and there are no wasps !. Of course, it could be the
weather.
Mike

In article , Geoff
writes

Pheromone traps...


Fair enough and thanks for answering, but what particular make of trap(s)
did you use please? Have you tried using two pheromones in one trap? If
so, was it effective?


Can't recall the make - just whatever the shed sold. I'll try and see
if I've got any packaging left later this evening. It comes as a
"flatpack" stiff green, corrugated plastic tent. Open it up, put the
sticky board in it, put the pheromone capsule in it and hang it in the
tree. (I think one trap would do 3-4 trees in a reasonably close
location. Maybe more, I don't know.)

I think it describes the sort of moths it should be catching - so you
can see if it is working as the season goes on.

I think it says to put them up around flowering - but mine went up just
after the small fruitlets have formed.

It might be possible to get refills, but I just bought separate traps
for plum sawfly and apple codling moth. They weren't too expensive.

--
regards andyw