 I know, I’m side-tracked as usual. I’m supposed to be showing you another cake recipe, but Mr. Fix-It has discovered something that is so cool that I had to share. We have fruit trees – peach, nectarine and a variety of apples. Every year, Mr. Fix-It has tried everything on the market to keep the nasty fruit-ruining moths from using the fruit as incubators for their icky, squiggly progeny. Every year, we have these lovely big peaches and nectarines, only to have them deflate on being picked or covered with gross brown sections. I have no clue where Mr. Fix-It found the recipe, but find it he did, and, as the wonderful, independent man that he is, made up a batch of the liquid himself. He gathered some plastic bottles, cut holes in them, filled them and hung them in the trees. We were both sceptical at first, but oh wow!! Those bottles have been FULL to the top of the liquid with dead moths that never made it to the flowers or fruit and Mr. Fix-It has now made up two more batches of “pesticide” to refill the bottles. I took photos of the most recent fill and already there were moths in the bottles. Ick. And so, we are thrilled and can’t wait to get some normal fruit this year!! I figure those of you in the north are just getting blooms on the trees and so maybe I posted this in time. Those of us in the south have trees that are already full of fruit. The bottles go into the trees as they bloom and stay in the trees as the fruit forms. Moth Killer Recipe 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup molasses 1/8 tsp ammonia 5 cups of water Mix ingredients together into a container that pours. On a plastic pop, water, syrup or any large type of plastic bottle, cut a rectangle approximately 3″ by 5″ just below the spout with the top of the cut at the spot where the bottle curves up to the spout. Put about 3″ of mixture into your bottle and cut two holes in the top to run a wire through to hang in the tree. Hang one bottle per tree for regular sized fruit trees. Put two in a large tree. Pour out and add more mixture when the bottle is full of moths.  Mr. Fix-It used a pop bottle for a peach tree  A syrup bottle goes in one of the apple trees.  This bottle had just been filled the evening before, for the third round of fluid. Previous rounds had been dumped because there were so many moths in the liquid. Already, new moths were caught. Isn’t that amazing?  |
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How great that something so natural is so effective! I look forward to hearing all about the “fruits” of your labor. I hope you have lots!
Ha Ha! Good one, Beth. 🙂
Hello! I found you through The Thrifty Garden.
I have a very old apple tree that just WILL not die, even after splitting last year, it has blossomed profusely and I dearly want those apples as I don’t know where to get another of its kind. It was from old homestead we bought so I think it’s not sold anymore.
Anyhow long story short, TOO late, this recipe is just what I needed ASAP as the tree has just finished it’s bloom. THANK YOU! 😀
Thanks for joining us, Mater! And I know what you mean about the tree. We have Lodi apple tree that is 32 years old and has been through tornadoes, earthquakes, hail, ice storms and a UPS truck that backed into it. I love that tree because it makes the most unbelievable apples for applesauce and apple butter. Not great for eating or pies but wonderful for the other. I think I am going to try to locate one to purchase so that we can have one ready to go if this one finally says that the UPS truck was just the last straw!! 🙂
Hi OPC Cook .. hope you don’t mind me linking this post .. on my blog 🙂 I have two fairly newish apple trees and don’t have wormy apples YET .. so want to try this to keep a problem from developing. Do you have any ‘tricks’ for catching cabbage moths?
Don’t mind a bit!! Thank you very much. The only thing that I know about getting cabbage moths or any cabbage bug is to mix one tablespoon of cooking oil, two tablespoons of baking soda and a little bit of liquid Ivory soap into a quart of water and then put that into a spray bottle to spray onto the plants. I don’t raise cabbage because I can get it so cheap and so I devote my garden to other veggies!! 🙂 Thanks for reading the blog!!
Hi MB.
My spouse wants to know if you’ve heard if the insecticide works on any other critters.
Thanks
Randy
Randy, I asked Mr. Fix-It and he said that it is specifically for fruit moths because it recreates fermented fruit and then kills them with the amonia and drowns them. Wish it was good for everything!