G&G QT

Dear Panel

My apple trees are loaded again this year but badly affected by tiny maggots, is this the same as damage by codling moths?

Should I beusing pheromone traps next year?

Pheromone traps are more for monitoring the presence of codling moths and determining when to spray insecticide, as they only catch the males. There aren't many good organic options for codling moth control: kaolin clay spray (needs multiple applications, it turns the trees white), bagging individual fruits (a faff, paper bags will probably disintegrate in our climate) and insecticidal virus (not available to the public). Thinning fruit to one per cluster can apparently help. This year has been quite bad for codling moth, seems to be a vintage year for pests of all kinds!