In this article we are going to consider the control of moths in home orchards since they are most important pests in Gardens:
Moths are the most damaging pests in the fruit gardens since their larvae feed on the fruits. They always choose the best fruits of your labor. The damage they cause is immense to the fruit. The larvae of moths cause undesirable changes in the fruits they change the texture, taste, properties, firmness of the fruits. The fruit also starts decaying due to moths’ harmful enzymes. So the moths do all that makes these fruits undesirable for human consumption. So controlling these moths is very important for both domestic and commercial purposes.
The methods of controlling the moths:
The traditional method involved is of the pesticides. You have to repeatedly spray these pesticides for the control of these insects through out the growing seasons of the plants. Many of these chemical pesticides are harmful for the plants as well as the humans who will consume these pesticide laden fruits.
General life cycle of these moths:
The moths’ lay their eggs on the leaves of the fruit trees which they feed on. The moths emerge when the fruit trees are in bloom generally in the month of May and June. When the young larvae hatch then they bore the developing fruits feed on them for a week or so leave the fruit and pupate then emerge as adults in about two weeks. Two or even four generations of moths can occur depending upon the length of summer.
You must spray the trees with insecticides during the period of fruit formation. That is after petal fall. The frequency and the total number of sprayings which can be done depend upon the number of moths which are present on a tree. So the numbers of sprays which can be done are directly dependent on the number and the density of the moths present in the garden.
The natural and locally effective method of controlling these moths is the use of pheromones which attract the male moths in a trap and then kill them.
Another way of controlling these moths is to exploit the natural foes or natural parasites of the moths. This method is the most effective method on controlling the moths and it is applicable to a large area. This is how we can control the moths effectively and control the damage caused by the moths immensely and get a healthy growth of fruit trees and their fruits.
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