Somewhere on this forum people have discussed making a codling moth trap that uses, if I recall correctly, apple cider, molasses, and water, all in a plastic jug. Does anybody recall that and can anybody help me with the how-to?
Thanks!
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I used this last year and it seemed to work, along with covering the whole tree later with the tulle fabric when the fruit were bigger to deter the birds. It was the first time we got a lot of apples with no worms inside. Last summer were very hot, so I don’t know if that was a factor also.
The following is a very helpful article but the trap requires ammonia in the mix, which I didn’t have so I used the one in the previous link.
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Thanks- I found some similar stuff online and mixed up a molasses/cider vinegar batch and have a couple of them hanging in the tree now. Wish I’d known about being able to use sugar instead of my pricey molasses.
Also I used half gallon jugs, and maybe I made the hole too small because we’re expecting fairly heavy rains.
I never use vinegar, just some kind of a jug or jar, 1 part molasses and 9 parts water. Top up the water every so often, especially this time of year when it’s getting warmer/dryer but the tree isn’t shading the jug/jar yet. The moths lay eggs in the jar, and the moth dies in the jar and/or the eggs/worms do. By the end of the season there can be a nasty cocktail of water, molasses, dead bugs and whatever else falls in, but it definitely cuts down on CM pressure here in sunny California.
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I was glad to see this, the Codling Moth problem here was on my mind just today and the trap is simple so I’ll get them set out tomorrow. Thanks!
For these codling moth traps, how many trees per jug is effective?
This is about as simple and smart as it gets.
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