Apple Trees And Coddlin Moth

[Steve]

Thought i ask here before doing a google as you're such a helpful bunch. Ive two apple trees that produce loads of apples. Unfortunately the last two years (since we moved in) they have all got what I think are coddlin moth larvae in the apples and they just go to the compost bin. What, how and when do you treat the trees? They are in blossom now.
Cheers
Steve

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

 

[Steve]

:lol: smart arse!

 

[Airgead]

Try this - http://www.greenharvest.com.au/pestcontrol..._moth_info.html

Lots of info there on organic controls. if you want to go the chemical route there are a bunch of options at your local garden centre.

Cheers
Dave

 

[Steve]

Try this - http://www.greenharvest.com.au/pestcontrol..._moth_info.html

Lots of info there on organic controls. if you want to go the chemical route there are a bunch of options at your local garden centre.

Cheers
Dave

Thanks Dave - going to get a couple of traps to put in the trees....wonder if Bunnings sell them?

 

[drsmurto]

Tis exactly the pruning tool i used last night on my apples trees.

They were full of codlin moths. Fixed that quick smart!

As for organic methods, i did hear that wrapping the trunk of the tree with corrugated cardboard traps them on the way to laying the eggs. Apparently they live in the ground under the tree? Was that crazy pommy bugger from the ABC gardening show IIRC....... who knows what he was on.

 

[newguy]

I used to live in British Columbia's Okanagan valley which produces a lot of Canada's fresh fruit. Officials would place traps on your fruit trees (you had no choice about this, by the way) and if they caught any coddling moths you had two choices: chop down the tree or spray it with whatever they prescribed, both at your cost. There was no third choice, other than a fine or jail. That should give you an idea of how bad this pest is. The district has a very large coddling moth eradication initiative, including releasing large numbers of sterilised males to compete with unsterilised wild males for mates.

This site has some good tips regarding control of the pest. Good luck getting rid of it.

 

[fraser_john]

Chickens.

I have six apple trees plus a boat load of other fruit trees and just run chickens around in the orchard. Works a charm, ever seen a chicken chasing a moth, hilarious stuff, but the chicken usually wins. Plus they scratch around the trees and dig up any moth larvae that have cocooned in the soil beneath the tree as well.

Saw a documentary about "organic" farming in the USA where a family apple orchard had decided to go organic and started running pigs under their apple trees, same result, huge reduction in moth damage.

Funny part of it was, they interviewed a real old (90+ years old) retired farmer and he said "why the hell did you think we used to run pigs under our trees way back before chemicals? Coz it worked!". And people say the new way is the better way of doing things.

 

[bum]

Was that crazy pommy bugger from the ABC gardening show IIRC....... who knows what he was on.

He's on some good shit.