[Ivor Backache]

Last year I did not give much attention and took a huge hit. But not this year. I have bought bags for bagging the fruit as it grows, pheromone  traps, cardboard traps, homemade traps and insecticide. I am taking night time temperatures, (it's too cold for them at the moment, so I am ready.

My question is:- using carrot fly netting could I encapsulate a branch and prevent the moth laying its eggs. My trees are small and to me it is possible to do. Probably would not look too good . I have seen tutorials on bagging the fruit on You Tube, so I will try that, but netting seems to be less work. Found some information from France, but they built huge cages as an experiment, and it did interrupt the mating cycle.

Has anyone tried it please?

[Lardman]

I've tried bagging fruit, it wasn't effective. 

I think spraying is really the only solution with when to spray being the key to minimising the applications. The rest of your equipment should tell you when, I haven't got the hang of the timings yet but if I could have found my sprayer yesterday I would have given the trees a blast.

[Ivor Backache]

"I've tried bagging fruit, it wasn't effective."
Thank you for your reply Lardman. Did you use paper bags which need to tied with twin or self sealing plastic bags? (which is the type I have)
I had a try at netting and came to the conclusion it would not work unless I used a box of staples, and even then the net has to kept off the leaves.
Timing starts when we have a run of evening temperatures of 15' C. and the moths will pupate and start breeding. Usually end of May but definitely in June. Night-time temperature are still very low 3.5'C last night.

PS. The ants are on the tree so there will be greenfly about. I have rubbed out a few isolated patches.

[Lardman]

Did you use paper bags which need to tied with twin or self sealing plastic bags? (which is the type I have)

Neither  I used organza bags with draw strings.

Timing starts when we have a run of evening temperatures of 15' C. and the moths will pupate and start breeding. Usually end of May but definitely in June. Night-time temperature are still very low 3.5'C last night.

PS. The ants are on the tree so there will be greenfly about. I have rubbed out a few isolated patches.

Being mainly trained trees here it's very easy for me to check them over. Yesterday I spotted greenfly, rosey apple aphid (I had a nightmare with those last year) and a couple of winter moth caterpillars. All of which just confirms my initial thoughts about how rubbish the "winter tree wash" was and how much a waste of time grease bands really are.

My thumb was effective to a degree but it's not exactly easy on the the new growth, I have some pyrethrum which I'll probably give the fruiting trees a once over with if only to stop things getting hold, the trees I'm still training will get the thumb treatment.

[Ivor Backache]

Just wanted to bring this thread up to date with my results. Had an exceptional crop of apples from my 3 trees. Bought 200 bags 4" square self seal, and still did not have enough. Had a pheromone trap which caught a few, and made up some home made treacle traps which tended to catch everything. Thinned and bagged at the same time  when the apples were bigger than a grape.

Result..one apple with the codling grub and a good supply of eating apples. Still have about 30 to go. Corrugated cardboard traps on the trunk to catch the caterpillars on their way to pupate and found none in those. Having broken the link for the next generation I shall probably just have the bags for next year.