How to Control Moths on Apples
- 1). Check all apples regularly for signs of damage or infestation. The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture recommends checking your apple orchard twice a week early in the season and on a weekly basis during mid-season. Infested apples feature small openings or holes on the outer skin.
- 2). Promptly remove all infested apples located on the tree and ground and place them in secure garbage bags. Removing infested fruit before the larvae are old enough to crawl out and begin the next generation can be a very effective method for reducing or controlling the moth population, according to the University of California's Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program,
- 3). Put multiple moth traps, like sticky pheromone traps, in each apple tree. Replace the traps with new traps on a regular basis to ensure lasting success. You can purchase moth traps at gardening and hardware stores.
- 4). Place paper bags over each apple. The University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program recommends thinning the fruit to one per cluster, cutting a 2 inch slit in the bottom fold of each paper bag, slipping the thinned fruit through the two inch slit so that it forms a seal around the stem and then stapling the open end of each bag shut. You can begin bagging the apples a few weeks after bloom or when the fruit is approximately 1 inch in diameter.
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