Post category: Plum fruit moth

 

Plum fruit moth and plum sawfly are fairly common pests of plums in some parts of the country. Once the pest appears, attacks usually continue in subsequent years. The caterpillar bores into the centre of the fruit, destroying it and often causing it to fall early.

The sawfly entry wound is very obvious, the fruit moth less so, just a pin-point and a tiny bluish sunken mark. The caterpillars pupate in a cocoon and emerge the following year.

Destroying fallen plums helps to reduce numbers but control will not be good but adult moths can fly in from neighbouring gardens. Spray with Hygeia Caterpillar Spray as blossoming finishes, and again three weeks later, to kill the caterpillars before they enter the fruit.