About The Pest

Codling Moth is probably the most important pest of apples worldwide and an important pest of pears, quinces and walnuts. It may also attack other Prunus species including peaches. Larvae bore into fruits, carving galleries inside. Damage may go unnoticed in the earlier part of the season because attack causes the young fruit to drop. There are usually 1 to 2 generations (egg to adult) in the UK depending on climate.

Directions For Use

Delta traps should be placed in the orchard before the first moths normally appear and maintained until the end of the season. Moths will normally start flying when the temperature is consistently above 15°C. In the UK this is from late May – Mid-June to July and again in late Autumn. The traps should be placed at head height within the tree canopy or located centrally within the orchard. One trap can be used for up to 5 good sized trees for monitoring, up to 1 per tree if you wish to capture as many moths as possible.

Pheromone lures should be changed every 4-6 weeks. A 4 week interval is better in hot weather. Sticky glue inserts should be changed when their effectiveness declines significantly. Normally this is when the lures are changed after 4-6 weeks. In situations where high insect catches or dusty conditions have led to the deterioration of the glue surface the inserts should be changed. The pheromone lures will only catch male moths as the pheromone is a copy of the sex pheromone emitted by the female to attract the male to mate. If you are catching more than 5 moths per week per trap a suitable spray should be applied 7 – 10 days later, to try and coincide to when caterpillars emerge from eggs and before they enter fruit.

Important Note

The pheromone lures will only catch male moths as the pheromone is a copy of the sex pheromone emitted by the female to attract the males to mate.

Top Tip

To keep using the glue inserts for longer, it may be possible to remove moths and stir the glue surface with a stick or spatula.