Worms in Plums

Question:

My grandmother has an allotment and grows many fruits and veg. She does though have a problem with worms inside her plums, there is not even always a visible entry point. What can she do to eliviate this problem?

Answer:

This sounds like plum curculio which is a weevil which infests plums, apples, peaches and other fruit. Females lay eggs in the flesh of very small fruit, the eggs hatch inside the fruit and eat away from the inside. As the worms develop they burrow out and fall beneath the tree where they pupate into adults. Fruit is often picked before the worms find their way out.

The only real control is to stop the next generation being born by removing and destroying (not composting) all the infested fruit from the tree as well as all the fruit which has fallen to the ground which may still contain the worms. Doing this will stop the worm developing into adults; you may have to do this for a couple of years until the cycle has completely stopped. It is very important not to let fruit sit on the ground around the tree as this is ideal for developing weevils.

Another method is to catch the adults before they lay their eggs. When the petals begin to fall tap the branches during early morning and catch any adults which fall from the tree. These then need to be destroyed.

It is very difficult to control this pest with insecticides but if you decide to go down this route then make sure you spray after the petals have fallen to ensure you don’t kill the bees in the process.