Fresh fruit tastes wonderful not only for us humans: many pests feel very comfortable on and on fruit trees and multiply splendidly here. Unfortunately, larvae and adult insects that feed on the leaf sap or eat the fruit can cause lasting damage to the tree. Even with very simple means such as glue rings or boards, you can keep some pests in check very effectively.

A glue ring can be used to keep pests away from the tree

How attractant traps work

With glue rings and glue boards, the vermin will literally be taken in by you. The inventors copied how they work from nature: Pheromone traps, for example, contain synthetic sex attractants that are modeled on the odor signals of females ready to mate - very species-specific, so you can only use them to catch certain types of insects. These traps attract the males, who then stick to the glue. The females, in turn, wait in vain for mating and accordingly cannot lay any eggs. In this way, the infestation can be narrowed down well, although hanging up attractant traps is of course not sufficient when males keep coming in.

What types of attractant traps are there

In addition to the pheromone traps, color charts are also used in fruit growing, which work according to a principle similar to that described above. The only difference is that the animals do not react to sex attractants, but to certain colors. Color panels coated with glue are hung in the tree, while rings of glue are attached to the trunks of the fruit trees and their stakes between September and mid-March (pests such as the female winter moth crawl up here too!). Glue rings catch the animals before they can even lay eggs.

Overview: These attractant traps are used in the event of a pest infestation

  • Glue rings: catch female winter moths that are crawling up the trunk
  • yellow glue board: against cherry fruit flies, cicadas and whiteflies
  • white glue board: against sawflies
  • blue glue board: against thrips

Pheromone traps can be used against codling and plum moths, for example.

Attractant traps do not replace treatment

The attractant traps described cannot completely combat a pest infestation, only limit it. In addition, they are mostly used to check whether and how strongly a certain insect species actually flies to the tree. Therefore, in addition to attaching glue rings and panels, you need to take other measures:

  • Pests that are easily recognizable on the tree must be removed at an early stage.
  • This is done, for example, by reading off, wiping off, crushing, brushing off or hosing down with a powerful jet of water.
  • In the case of a severe infestation, only a pruning often helps.
  • Spray the tree with a home-made manure that is also effective against pests.

tips

Most pests do not like tansy, which is why spraying with a manure made from it is quite effective. Bracken and male fern, horsetail and stinging nettles are also suitable.

Category:

Trees