North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Don Yellman <dyellman@earthlink.net>]

Jim:

There are lots of problems with codling moth here too, and I think the 
full-coverage kaolin spray called "Surround" is pretty effective against 
them.  But even though Surround is non-toxic, non-chemical, and has had 
many good reports, I have not tried it yet.

Instead, I run two 40 watt black light traps in the orchard at night, 
all summer long.  Mine are manufactured by the Stinger Co., and cost 
about $40 each.  Coverage of each trap is estimated at about 1/2 acre. 
These traps eliminate a whole lot of moths, but exactly how many are 
codling moths I cannot say, since most insects can't be accurately 
identified once they been through the high voltage.  But I also have a 
lot of trouble with oriental fruit moth on stone fruits, and I don't 
know of any beneficial moths, so I figure the best moth of any sort is a 
dead one.  The traps also kill a lot of night-flying, leaf-chewing 
beetles.  I hang the lights from tree branches with S-hooks made from 
No. 9 wire, and move them around once in a while.

Of course, this is only practical where you have an electrical source 
close enough that you can reach the trap with an extension cord.  It is 
a bit of a chore to roll up the cords when the time comes to mow.  And 
every evening I have to plug them in, and unplug in the morning.  But I 
am pretty well convinced that codling moth damage on my apples has been 
sharply reduced.  And if you don't like moths, the traps make a 
satisfying frying sound as the moth goes to his eternal reward.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA