CODLING MOTH IN APPLES

This fruit-boring caterpillar is the most serious pestof apples, pears and other cool-climate fruit trees. The grubs burrow into the fruit and emerge when fully fed to pupate under the bark or in other hidey-holes. Commercial traps are available, and homemade lures can be made using vinegar, water and molasses, or one of myriad recipes you can find online. To trap migrating caterpillars, wrap some corrugated cardboard bands around the trunk and check them every few days. Or you could staple a paper bag over each piece of fruit while they are small. It’s tedious, but it works. For Tino’s tips on dealing with this pest, visit abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets and search for ‘codling moth’.