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• Allotment Boy Posts: 6,774

  7 February

  I'm not quite sure which moth you mean, but I  use pheromone traps for codling moths and they are small and light brown.  The original purpose is to monitor numbers to tell you when to spray   but I don't spray, I  just rely on the traps to reduce the numbers enough and so limit the damage. Bear in mind pheromone traps are very specific,  so you need the correct one for each. So codling moth traps will not help for plum moth,  you need a separate trap for them. You  can use  grease band traps for  winter moth which crawl up the tree and hide in the bark crevices. 

  AB Still learning
  
  

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• Neil75 Posts: 21

  8 February

  
  

  Hi allotmentboy, 

  Many thanks for your reply and for detailing how you control other moths.

  
  

  This is the moth in question. However, it's easily confused with others. The main reason I know it's this one is I reported my issues to DEFRA, thinking it was an omnivorous leaf roller moth, which could have posed a threat to agriculture. 

  https://applegrowing.niab.com/light-brown-apple-moth/?amp=1
  

  
  

  I should have said what I am currently doing. As you suggested I've got the specific pheremone traps setup for mass capture. I've got 2 traps setup in a 300m2 area at home - plus the same again at my allotment where I fear I may have introduced the moth by moving strawberry plants from home; and again I've got two traps apiece in my greenhouse and polytunnel and spray all the plants in there regularly with BT. Although personal evidence suggests the latter isn't that effective. I've also cleared all the leaf litter and spoil from my fruit trees, as they can be overwintering points. Finally, I've pruned the plants in my semi-heated greenhouse to a more open, visible for in order to deter them and spot their development so I can pick off leaves, as they manifest in a similar manner to the gooseberry sawfly. 

  
  

  However, it's too early in the season to know the full impact of all of this as I've only caught one insect in the traps. I've got tens of fruit trees in the ground; numerous vines, several citrus, Chilean guava, loquats, pineapple guavas, Chilean myrtles, gojis, lingonberries, cranberry, hardy and tender kiwis, pomegranates dwarf and regular... all in pots and it's going at them all and impacting new growth and fruit which is quite upsetting if I'm honest. I spend a large amount of my time just walking around and picking off affected leaves :-(

  
  

  I can get information online related to commercial growers, but I can't see any reports from home growers and their experiences of trying to control/eliminate it, hence my post. I had rats getting into my polytunnel last year and doing what they do and I've also managed to get cabbage stem weevil from somewhere, which I'm having to go brassica-free this year in the hope of breaking its breeding cycles. It does feel like the higher powers are either trying to teach me to let things just be or to give up growing :-) 

  
  

   So I'm looking for any help or guidance I can get. Could I ask how many pheremone traps you use as a control measure? Any if you have any other thoughts or suggestions I'd be eternally grateful!

  
  

  Kind regards 

  
  

  On Wed, 7 Feb 2024, 09:36 GW Website, <[email protected]> wrote:
  

  Allotment Boy just added a comment in Fruit & veg: Light brown apple moth infestation I'm not quite sure which moth you mean, but I use pheromone traps for codling moths and they are small and light brown. The original purpose is to monitor numb… Check it out

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