Fruit moth pheromone

The pheromone contains the scent the females use to attract males for mating. Attracted by the female sex pheromone, the males land on the adhesive plate. One pheromone capsule is effective for six weeks. After that, the pheromone lure must be replaced.

What does the pheromone trap do?

A pheromone trap is a tool for monitoring and controlling the number of harmful fruit moths. Trapped males can no longer fertilize females. Reduced fertilization leads to fewer egg-laying and therefore fewer harmful caterpillars.

This method offers good protection once the harmful moth population has been reduced. Because fewer or no moths are flying in your area, the damage becomes minimal or even nonexistent. Therefore, you'll need to hang the pheromone trap for several years to achieve the desired result.

Thanks to the pheromone trap, you'll know exactly when the codling moth starts its flight. If you want to spray a codling moth product, this monitoring allows you to do so with precision.

When to hang out the pheromone trap?

The pheromone trap should be hung before the fruit moth starts its flight and until the end of its flight in the case of stored apples and pears.

Observations show that in Belgium, the codling moth has so far emerged no earlier than April 21st and has flown until September. These start and end dates vary depending on the temperature of the year. Over the past 10 years, the start and end dates of the flights have become increasingly spaced out, meaning the codling moths are flying for increasingly longer periods.

Knowing this, it's important to hang the codling moth pheromone trap starting in mid-April. This way, you can be sure they haven't started flying yet. If you have stored apples and pears, keep the trap hanging until September. Additional pheromone capsules can be purchased separately.

Can I hang a pheromone trap later than mid-April?

Absolutely! The peak codling moth flight occurs from the second half of May to the first half of June. So it's definitely worthwhile to hang a pheromone trap during this period. The following year, you'll then hang the trap from mid-April.

How many traps should I hang?

Hang one trap for every five low-stemmed fruit trees. The fruit trees must be located within a 25-meter radius of the trap. For mature high-stemmed trees, hang one pheromone trap per tree or per two trees, depending on the infection pressure.

Hanging too many traps isn't good. So never hang multiple traps in one tree. This attracts a massive number of moths, but they won't find the traps because the pheromone scent is so prevalent.

Where is the fruit moth pheromone trap hung?

Hang the pheromone trap at eye level in an airy location to allow the pheromone scent to spread effectively. The easiest position is on the side of a tree. Avoid hanging it under dense foliage or in strong winds.

Storing pheromone capsules

Store the pheromone capsule in a sealed container in the freezer to maximize the pheromone scent. You can use pheromone capsules stored in the freezer the year of purchase and the following year. Never store pheromone capsules at room temperature for extended periods, as this will cause the pheromone to lose its effectiveness.

Storage apples, what now?

This "deltaval fruit moth" package contains two pheromone capsules. This is enough to trap the fruit moth for 12 weeks. If you want protection until mid-September (for storing apples), you'll need to purchase two additional pheromone capsules.

Buy pheromones separately

Since the delta trap can easily be used for three years, you can purchase the adhesive bases and pheromone capsules separately in our webshop.