Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner Trap
The Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner Trap helps preserve that bastion of the English countryside, the horse chestnut tree, from leaf miners which burrow into the tree's leaves and cause untold damage - including a reduction in conker size...More information
The Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner Trap helps preserve that bastion of the English countryside, the horse chestnut tree, from leaf miners which burrow into the tree's leaves and cause untold damage - including a reduction in conker size.
The horse chestnut miner trap trap uses a pheromone to lure and catch adult moths and drastically reduces the population, leaving females unfertilised and far fewer eggs which hatch into the leaf miner or caterpillar. Simply add the pheromone to the robust and weather protected conker tree miner trap and hang in the tree in April, remembering to clear the leaf miner trap out and replace the pheromone lure every 6 weeks between April and August - the 3 lure and trap package will cover this period.
The results should be fairly evident and you can enjoy collecting large conkers from your valuable horse chestnut trees for years to come!
- Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner Trap supplied with a single or pack of 3 lures
- 3 pack and trap package covers the recommended protection period from April to August
- Trap uses a pheromone to attract and catch male adult moths
- Reduction in male moth population indirectly affects eggs laid and leaf miner numbers
- Trap is simply laced with pheromone and hung in tree
- Replace lure and clear out trap every 6 weeks between April and August
- Leaf miners are widespread in the south of England and present in much of the country
- Affected trees look sickly, suffer from premature leaf browning and drop and conker size is reduced
- Trap will not totally eradicate pest but use over years will drastically reduce damage
- Replacement lures available separately
Product Reviews
I should like to clarify my comment about the trap having "lured millions of the moths". My entomologist friend calculated how many moths might be attracted to a leaf, then multiplied accordingly - it could easily be a million on a large tree - and I'd agree with his guesstimate. Although not specifically written for the purpose, the book, which he co-authored with two others, could be usefully informative about moths and their effects to our gardens. It is called 'The smaller moths of Surrey' by R.M.Palmer, J.Porter and G.A.Collins. Published by Surrey Wildlife Trust
I used this leaf miner pheromone trap last year with good result. For the two previous seasons our chestnut tree had lost the majority of its totally brown leaves by the 3rd week of August. Last year, after using the pheromone, the tree kept all of its leaves until Autumn albeit with many rather brown/green spoiled leaves. The pheromone was, therefore, useful in holding off the worst ravages of the leaf miner. It may have been even more successful if I had followed the instructions and waited until May to use the first traps (I bought 3 traps for use on one tree). April had been such a warm, sunny month that I decided to use it a month earlier. This year I shall wait until May. Incidentally, a local entomologist and author of a book on moths asked for the contents of my traps. He said my pheromone trap had lured millions of the moths. He thought that, eventually, a natural predator would maintain a balance with this pest. During a September visit to France last year I noticed damage from this leaf miner to chestnut trees was endemic. Chestnut trees in some village squares had been severely pollarded - so severely I think it likely some trees could die as a result.
Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner Traps
Get more from your leaf miner trap by understanding the lifecycle of the pest and the optimum time to introduce the trap with our handy guide...
Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner (Cameraria ohridella) damage on Horse Chestnut trees is becoming a common problem in Southern England and is spreading into other areas.
The adult moths lay hundreds of eggs, which develop into caterpillars that drill into the Horse Chestnut tree leaves. This causes the leaves to dry up and turn brown, gives the tree a very sickly appearance and leads to early leaf fall, reduced seed vigour and poor germination. The damage is not fatal to the tree but one effect is the reduction in the size of the conkers from infested trees.
How The Trap Works
The Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner Trap contains a pheromone lure that attracts male Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner adults in huge numbers into the trap. Here they are caught and perish which reduces mating leading to reduced egg laying. The traps do not totally stop damage or completely control Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner, but continued use of the traps over several seasons reduces the damage caused and can help to delay the early leaf fall caused by this pest.
Life Cycle
The adult moths are up to 5mm in length and are a metallic chestnut brown with white stripes edged in a black stripe. They appear from April, most from overwintered pupae in leaf litter. There can be 3-5 generations per year depending on the weather. Eggs are laid on leaves from May to August in large numbers and hatch in 2-3 weeks. The Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner larvae develop in about 4 weeks inside the leaf tissue.
How to use the Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner Trap
Before placing the trap in the Horse Chestnut tree, add the Cameraria ohridella pheromone lure into the top of the castellation trap. A small amount of water with detergent can also be added to the trap to ensure adults do not escape. Hang one trap per tree by April. Each pheromone lure will last about 6 weeks; after this period, remove the trap and empty its contents before adding a fresh lure and replacing in the tree. This process should be repeated at least 3 times from April to the end of August to ensure that new generations of Horse Chestnut leaf miners are caught.
In the Autumn the traps can be removed, cleaned and stored for use the following season. It is recommended that the traps are used each year to reduce numbers and damage.
It's also important to remove leaf litter in autumn and burn as this will significantly reduce the amount of overwintering Horse Chestnut leaf miner pupae.
