[starry]

I have recently read that there is such a thing but I cannot find any ?? plum and apple tree traps but not pea, am I looking for something that doesn't exist ??   :blink:

[starry]

yes they do haha just found them on Harrod horticultural and got 10% discount

[Mark-S]

Hi, there are such things but they are traps used by researchers, agronomists and farmers to assess populations of moths not traps to control or catch every moth. They work by using a pheremone to attract the moths.

[starry]

Harrod Horticulture: The Pea Moth Trap will is a great springboard for avoiding caterpillar-ridden peas as the pheromone-based trap helps attract and trap adult pea moths, giving you a good idea of their numbers and removing a few for good measure.

This handy 16cm high by 12cm wide reusable trap is simply hung in around the pea crop from late May until early July when adults are most active. The pheromone lure provided with the trap will last between 6 to 8 weeks – enough for one season – and purchasing a replacement lure means you can trap year after year. The trap will disrupt the pea moth mating activity, which leads to reduced egg laying and therefore less damaging caterpillars.

The pea moth trap sits perfectly in any organic pest control programme and covers a large area, typically 10 rows of peas measuring 20m in length - so if you can't sow early or late, use this trap to keep peas safe!

thanks for your reply Mark and the above does more or less say that, I covered my peas last year and didn't have a single caterpillar but as I am doing loads more this year thought I would give this a try  

 
attribution added

[Salmo]

Has anyone actually used these, and are they effective against pea moths.

The theory is that most of the males are attracted into the trap by the phermones and therefore are not available to mate with the females.

That may work if the whole area is covered but surely there is nothing to stop females mating a few plots away and then flying into you pea crop to lay their eggs.

[starry]

well if it stops half thats a bonus, my first year of growing peas every other pod was a maggoty one, I will let you know how it goes.

[DD.]

using a pheromone trap to be sure you are treating at the right time is best.

As implied before, traps are an aid, not a prevention.

[LeeR]

my first year of growing peas every other pod was a maggoty one, I will let you know how it goes.

Mmmm extra protein    Only kidding, I gave up on peas because of this problem.  I grow mange tout instead hoping that picking them young will mean that I get to them before the maggots have hatched.  Any I'm a bit suspicious of, I put on the wifes plate    I think you can drop them in water and if they're OK they will sink, any floaters might contain a our wriggly friend.

[Salmo]

If you read the Harrods marketing spin it implies some control, especially with

"The trap will disrupt the pea moth mating activity, which leads to reduced egg laying and therefore less damaging caterpillars."
I am sceptical about that. It might happen to some degree, but then again it might not.

I agree with DD that the best use is to warn you when moths are about so that you can either spray or get the enviromesh on.

One approach might be to share with others on your site and just put 1 or 2 traps up to get a warning of pea moth activity.