Last year I found small pink maggots inside my plums. How can I prevent them this year?
Mary Payne: The maggots are the larval stage of the plum moth, which seems to be more of a problem recently. The cure is twofold. In May, hang up a pheromone trap (the Plum Moth Trap from Agralan is widely available. This consists of a plastic tent in which there is a sticky piece of cardboard and a disc containing the sex hormones of the female plum moth. This attracts the male moths, which get stuck to the sticky glue. This organic approach may not solve the problem completely, but it helps you monitor moth activity.
You can spray the tree with a product containing bifenthrin, such as Scotts Bug Clear, once you start to see moths becoming stuck on the sticky glue.
denotes Subscriber-only content | Thursday 20 November 2008 | Help | Glossary 
