RHS Approved Natural Plum Moth Pheromone Trap

Our plum tree always bears lots of lovely sweet fruits but last year most of them had small, wriggly occupants so we bought a moth trap to help prevent this years crop being overtaken. It arrived quickly, was easy enough to assemble and within 10 minutes of arrival it was swinging away in the breeze from one of the branches as per instructions. Its been very windy almost everyday since and whilst I can see it swaying and swinging around out there, its still in place. I went and looked after a week at how many critters had succumbed and was amazed at how many there were stuck to the base paper. Proof of the pudding will be once the plums ripen but it looks promising.

Easy to use and set up: currently 3 stars and awaiting details on the amount of male fruit moths captured (see UPDATE). The female scent is a rubber plug (much like an eraser on the top of some pencils). Place in centre of card and placed on tree in the middle of May 2015. Used string to tie onto study branch as the hanger is similar to a metal clothes hanger, so would damage the bark. My Plum tree is full of immature plums and approximately 30% of last years crop was infested with small green grubs. Used sticky stem wraps in the winter (Nov 2014-May2015) : little late I know to capture wingless female moths)) and followed up with this to capture the males. We report on capture rate later hence the 3 stars. UPDATE: Trap used between May-October 2015 and seemed to work effectively (see photo). Very good crop and no plum month infestation. Combined with Grease band between October 2014-May 2015. Increased to 4 stars after use in the field (one mature only). - urban environment

Mine is a new tree, 2nd year and only 4 plums, all ruined with plum maggots. This year I followed the instructions to the letter. I have a tree full of plums and they’re all beautiful. All the machines are stuck inside the little green trap. Will most definitely be getting another one next year.

Mine blew a lot and refolded itself. It did seem to attract plum moths so hopefully when I use again will be a sufficient deterrent.

For the last few years I’ve not been able to eat most of the plums on my tree because they had a pink worm in them. Decided to try out this trap this year. Trap easy to set up and place in tree. I followed all the instructions carefully. My first plums were ready to pick at the end of July this year. I was so disappointed that 5 out of the first 6 plums I picked had pink worms in them. I thought the trap hadn’t worked. A few days later I picked some more and only a fifth of them had worms inside. Since then all the plums I have picked have been worm free so the trap has obviously done its job. I presume that some of the eggs laid by the female moth on the plums were fertilized by a male moth before I set up the trap and that once the trap was set up it did its job and attracted the male moths to it before they had a chance to fertilize any eggs which had been laid on the plums. I will definitely be buying refills for my trap to use next year.

last year the plums were full of maggots, esp the Victoria - my favourite....they're young trees and first year we had a decent crop. a quick google search revealed the problem and so I've tried these. didn't quite get them out before the first blossoms were open but so far the traps have loads of the moths in them so clearly are working well. I've some cherries too nearby, never (yet) had the problem with them but again they are young trees so hopefully the traps will works for them. The sachets last five weeks it says and there's a refill so that covers a long blossom period. I'll save the traps for next year and order refills in plenty of time so I can get them out at first blossom. Edit: Its september now, first plum tree just finished, victorias just starting and No Maggots!!! Hurrah. Next years these are coming out at soon as the first blossom opens

Works well

This pheromone trap has proved to be the only effective defence found so far against the plum moth. No method is 100% but this works pretty well for a small group of 4 trees. The housing will last 2-3 years with care, so it will need only refills for the following year or two.