If the leaves of the fruit trees are eaten in spring, it is usually caused by winter moth caterpillars. Here are 3 tips on how to fight the moth caterpillars.
frost moth caterpillars damage fruit trees
First and foremost, it is the small winter moth that is up to mischief in the garden, mainly on fruit trees, berry plants and ornamental deciduous trees.
It is therefore advisable to take preventive measures, especially in spring, to combat this pest in good time.
By the way, an infestation of the plants can be recognized by holes in the still fresh spring leaves or a partially even complete defoliation of the same.
frost moth lay eggs in winter
Basically, you should know that the little winter moth usually lays its barely visible, red eggs near the flower buds in winter. As soon as the buds open, the relatively voracious caterpillars hatch and immediately attack the flowers in large numbers, and later even the young fruits. This in turn means that the autumn harvest is very poor. In the event of an infestation, you often have to reckon with a total failure.
Especially since the caterpillars pupate again in the ground in June and fresh moths hatch in October. The cycle then begins again.
Fighting Frost Moth Caterpillars - 3 Tips
Tip 1:
There are various measures to combat the small winter moth in the garden. Of course also in a natural way, for example by attracting the great tit in your own garden, e.g. by setting up nesting boxes. But you can also keep free range chickens near the fruit trees.
Tip 2:
Another possibility is that in summer (from around September to the end of October) you can attach glue rings that are as colorful as possible around the fruit trees , to which the flightless females of the small winter moths cling and are caught on their way to lay their eggs.
Such glue rings are e.g. available in specialist shops and should cover the tree in a place that is as flat as possible - if necessary, carefully remove some of the bark in advance. This has the advantage that the females have no chance of slipping throughgiven.
» Order glue rings here
You can find precise instructions on how to use such glue rings here: Combatting Frost Moths with Glue Rings.
Tip 3:
Specialist shops also have a special pesticide ready that you can spray on the plants in early spring. This then prevents the caterpillars from hatching.
It is best to always get advice on this from a specialist retailer. This is the only way you can be sure that you are fighting the moth caterpillars with the right pesticide.