Joe Jones asked 15 years ago
Why use grease bands on fruit trees? Why are these tree trunks sometimes painted white?
1 Answers
Gerry Daly Staff answered 6 years ago
Grease bands are used to control winter moths, the wingless females of which climb into the tree and lay eggs. The caterpillars then eat the leaves. Since this pest is a very minor problem, grease bands are largely a waste of time.
Fruit tree trunks were traditionally painted white in hot countries to prevent sun scald of the bark. This is not likely to be a problem here, so the whitewashing of fruit tree trunks is just a notion.
