Topic: Pea moth/maggot

[Moggle]

When I said I planned to grow peas this year, my mother-in-law reacted in near-horror and said she hated fresh peas because of the maggots!  :-\

How serious a pest are they? Will the peas be okay if I leave them to it, or should I get some netting on em?

Thanks all  :)

[Kerry]

watching with interest, as some of my peas were harbouring them last year. is there a time to sow to avoid their activity?

[patricil1508]

Early peas are a must - what a flavour.  I sow in November and erect supports, then cover the whole thing with mesh. This allows the peas to climb when ready and the mesh provides warmth and protection against the pea moth.  I understand that peas are "self-pollinating" so the covers can remain in place.  Plants are now a good 9" tall and looking good.  From past experience the pea moth often arrives too late for early peas, so they are mostly maggot-free.  It is the main crop (summer) peas which usually attract the fly.

Good luck

[Mrs Ava]

Had a few wigglies towards the end of picking mid summer time, but they are so teeny, I probably ate a few  :-X.  All good protein!  ;D  To be honest, I don't care, nowt as devine as freshly picked peas!

[Wicker]

Don't mind most things in the lottie but have a horror of maggotty things in the peas :o, first time I found some I dumped the whole crop tho as EJ says they would probably have done me no harm - still we are all different ::). 
This is what was on (I think) the RHS site

The other main problems are Pea Moth, Pea Weevil or Pea Thrip. The solution for all is to spray with derris immediately any problem is noticed, plus a precautionary spraying about a week before the plants flower - spray well at this stage to especially deter Pea Moth.

We always spray as soon as the first flower buds appear and sometimes a week later too -liquid derris isn't frowned on too much and for me its the better option!

[Joolieeee]

I luvvvvv fresh peas so much, but hate the maggots, I just make sure that when I pod them, I take care to examine closly, and dump any pods with a naughty nasty maggot in it - sometimes they are easy to spot cos they are big, but some of the peas only have tiny tiny little hole in them which you need to look out for, though after a little while you do become expert at this

the super sweet taste is definately worth sorting through the peas, and then you know you can eat them worry free

joolieeeeeeee

[Moggle]

Cheers everyone, will see how I feel at flowering time, and may spray with derris, or may not depending on how I feel at the time! I may just throw caution to the wind and just check pods carefully when shelling  ;D

[Wicker]

Even if you spray, Moggle, you would still need to examine closely! But if you really don't want to spray then the following from a Radio 4 Gardeners Quention Time reinforces what others have said above:
Pippa: Pea moth is a real problem sometimes, because you get maggot-like caterpillars boring into the peas themselves, so they're totally unappetising and pretty well inedible. I think the best thing is to try and cover the crop. I'm a great believer in the use of fleece or really fine mesh, because although it doesn't look the prettiest thing it will keep off a huge number of pests.

John: I find with most vegetable crops a layer of fleece or really fine flexible mesh over the crop, will stop aphids, caterpillars, pea and bean weevil, birds - pretty well everything. You can always make some sort of a framework for it. Take two bamboo canes and a length of hosepipe, stick a piece of bamboo cane up both ends of the hosepipe and it makes an arch. Use the bamboo canes to anchor it in the soil and then drape the fleece over the top.
Bob: Barriers are without doubt the best method. However, the later peas get more of the moth than the earlier ones, so if you try and start up your peas even earlier, get them under cloches and get them going, the very earliest crops may miss it entirely.

Whatever you do the edible crop will be worth it all!!

[john_miller]

  I understand that peas are "self-pollinating" so the covers can remain in place.  Plants are now a good 9" tall and looking good.  From past experience the pea moth often arrives too late for early peas, so they are mostly maggot-free.  It is the main crop (summer) peas which usually attract the fly.

Good luck

If you can avoid growing the crop in such a way that avoids covering it then you can increase the yield by allowing cross pollination.
In the discussion on page 2 here: http://hermes.bionet.nsc.ru/pg/32/16.pdf
it is noted that abcessions (varieties) that come from the limits of agricultural production are more dependent upon cross pollination for full seed set than those from more favoured areas such as the Balkans or Ethipoia. With roughly a quarter of seeds being cross pollinated the yield will be 33% higher than if cross pollination is stopped.
They also note that environment and genotype are important influencing factors. Having grown vegetables in the U.K. and the Middle East I would rate the U. K.'s growing conditions as being a lot closer to those approaching the northern limits of production than those found in Ethiopia. On this basis U.K. pea variety genotypes may also be more dependent upon cross pollination. Even splitting the difference (8% v. 33%) there would still be a 20% increase in yield. Forfeiting the chance to increase yield by 20% (or more) is a change that I would not characterise as being a "few empty places in the pod".
Quite obviously the paper is peer reviewed to determine the accuracy of it's findings but it does diverge markedly it in it's conclusions concerning the importance of cross pollination in Afghanistan varieties when compared to the quoted research done in the field (4% v. 24%). Given the huge differences that beans exhibit when grown under protection compared to field experience (from being largely vector pollinated to entirely selfing) I have to wonder how much difference the greenhouses made in this research.

[simon404]

 On average out of 3 rows of maincrop reas I only find about a dozen pods with maggots, which isn't enough to worry about really. I certainly wouldn't spray.

[Moggle]

Cheers again everyone. I will add these in with the mulling over. Fleece sounds like a potential idea then if I want to actually do something.  :)