Topic: Plum maggots

[davee52uk]

We have loads of wild plum trees growing on all of our allotment. They are called Warwickshire Drop and produce vast amounts of yellow plums at the end of August.

It is quite usual to have at least have these with a maggot inside. Has anybody got any suggestions how to reduce this. Please bear in mind that nearly every plot has these trees and all are infected. Also we have loads of wild damsons which are not infected by anything, ditto for sloes.

[goodlife]

Well..if there is that quantity of affected trees around..getting rid of the maggots will be almost impossible task and reducing the occurrence will be major effort from everybody.
It would take few years to make any difference with organic control methods and with inorganic = pesticides it would still take several repeated applications too.
I suspect that problem has been around for some time and there is very established population around of those moths...which the maggots are from and dropped fruit left on ground is the way how next generation of maggots get their 'feet' into ground for hibernation only to emerge in spring as moths and start their cycle of mating and producing more maggots. That cycle is what need to be broken to reduce the numbers.
More nature friendly approach would be; spray some 'winter wash' on the trees (as first point of call) and late-winter/ early-spring, before bud break apply 'glue' bands on trunks (these can be made quite cheaply yourself) and early summer onwards keep some plum moth traps hanging on branches. You could also get some diatomaceous earth powder  and dust section of the tree trunks with it (reapply once the rain has washed it off), and keep the trees 'dusted' all summer. Mulch the soil (fruit drop zone) underneath the trees with rhubarb leaves and keep it topped up during the summer/autumn season. Clear as much as possible of fallen fruits away.
Each one of the practices will help to reduce the maggot numbers..not all of them maybe practical..but in 'ideal wold', if all of the tree owners would do some of them in most of the time, maggot occurrence should drop drastically in a year or two.

[Kleftiwallah]

The maggots are of the 'Plum Moth'.  there is a pheromone trap you can get from the garden centres and hang in the tree about May June time.   It worked for us.

Cheers,   Tony.

[saddad]

I find the pheromone trap works best if placed in a tree nearby... upwind, then the males are drawn away from the tree you want to protect and meet a sticky end.   

[Fuchsias]

Goodlife, do you know the reason for the rhubarb.

Reason I ask although my victoria is totally free from grubs my opal, only12 yards away is always full.  I did greaseband it last year but unfortunately the tree, and the victoria decided not to fruit anyway this year so will greasebad for next year.

I've got lots of rhubarb available to use

[goodlife]

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Goodlife, do you know the reason for the rhubarb.
Yes I know, thought I'm not sure if it does help...
The reason I mentioned the rhubarb leaves is... some years ago... I had gooseberry sawfly problem on my bushes, repeatedly year after year. And then I planted rhubarb crown nearby..and as I was harvesting the rhubarb, I had habit of chucking the leaves underneath the gooseberry bushes, just to use them as mulch (and being lazy it was nearest hiding place rather than gathering them up and taking into compost bin). Result of my 'thoughtfull' habit, those gooseberry bushes did come sawfly free  ..and I haven't had the problems since. I carried on mulching many years..now that the rhubarb is moved to grow somewhere else, they haven't had their leaf treatment for 2 years...but so far, so good.
The lesson I learned from this is, either the oxalic acid on leaves had some effect to the grubs/soil that the larvae wasn't successful of hibernating in the soil anymore... or perharps just the layer of leathery leaves that was repeatedly applied during summer just broke the life cycle for being too hard to penetrate...I don't know what was the reason...all I know that rhubarb leave mulch & sawfly don't 'go together'. Other people have tried it too and found it successful.
SO...I take 'leap of faith' from the 'experiment' and I dare to assume that same practice could work with other insects in similar manner. If it is just down to being physical barrier, it should still work..as for the oxalic acid from leaves(???) that is unknown thesis for me.....either way...nothing lost and only knowledge to gain! 

[Robert_Brenchley]

I got nothing from my plums either this year, no doubt thanks to the cold spring. It'll have broken the cycle, so you shouldn't have so much of a problem next year.

[davee52uk]

I suspect that problem has been around for some time and there is very established population around of those moths...which the maggots are from and dropped fruit left on ground is the way how next generation of maggots get their 'feet' into ground for hibernation only to emerge in spring as moths and start their cycle of mating and producing more maggots.

Have you any advice what do with infected fruit. I could clear away my own and neighbours dropped fruit but what do with them. There would be a vast amount of fruit to dispose of. Could a bury it under a completely different tree such as an apple, or compost the plums and use them away from where the trees are ?

[goodlife]

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Have you any advice what do with infected fruitIf it is possible...gather them 'all' into bin liners...tie the bags up and keep it until the fruit is fully rotted and then add into compost bin or dig into ground. I would not dig/bury under other fruit trees..if the stones are viable and they germinate..those seedling are bugger to dig out and you just end up disturbing the roots of your trees.