Grease bands

How it works

A sticky band around the trunk stops wingless female moths climbing up to lay, and stops ants carrying aphids into the canopy.

Recipe

Wrap a proprietary grease band or greased paper around the trunk about 45 cm up, plus any stake touching the tree.

How to apply

Fit on fruit trees by late October and leave until spring. For ant control, apply any time aphids are being farmed.

Targets — pests

Winter moth, Ants farming aphids

Targets — diseases

Not recorded — the field is blank rather than guessed.

Supplies: Grease bands

Days to harvest after spraying: 0

Best months: October, November, December

Cautions

Ants will bridge the band with debris - check and clean it. Do not apply grease directly to young thin bark.

The thing people get wrong

Banding for ants is a hidden lever most gardeners miss: ants actively defend aphid colonies from ladybirds and hoverflies. Cut the ants off and your existing predators often clear the aphids in a week without you spraying anything.