[Nobbie]

This year for the first time it looks like I'm going to get a bumper crop of plums from the tree I planted 5 years ago. Upto now it's only had a handful on, so I want to make sure I get to harvest them without them being spoiled by pests. Any tips for action I need to take?

[RubyR3d]

Can't give any advice how to avoid as I don't use anything in the garden, but one thing we have to look out for are tiny white grubs that are on,y seen when the plums are cut open. There are no holey signs from outside so I can only assume the eggs are laid at the baby plum stage. We just scrape them off !

[Elm street]

That's the plum moth grubs! Get a pheromone trap up in the tree  we took our plot on last year and have put a trap up this year as we had rather a lot of the plums ruined last year as we did nothing. You might also like to put a grease band around the tree trunk to stop other nasties getting to your fruit. We are off out just now to do that very thing 

[Norfolkgrey]

Just a word of caution on grease bands, they can trap moisture and harbour nasties which can then lead to disease and a slow death. Not always but it can happen. I removed mine within one year as it was the 'final nail in the coffin' for one of my trees. 

[Nobbie]

Thanks, just ordered a pheromone trap. Hope I'm not too late as it says to do just after flowering.

[RubyR3d]

Thanks for the pheromone trap idea. I will deffo get one. I don't like using grease bands as they are indiscriminate and trap all sorts of insects.