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this is such a good article, I've reproduced it here:
The pea moth, Cydia nigricana, is 6mm long with a 12mm wingspan. It is an olive brown colour with black and white bars on the front edge of its forewings and long antennae. Between 5 and 11 days after adult moths emerge they lay flat transparent/white eggs (size of a pinhead) on the leaves, pods, flowers or stems of pea plants.
After 1 to 3 weeks (depending on temperature) minute yellowish/white caterpillars with dark heads emerge. These migrate to and bore into young pea pods. Larval development lasts from 18 to 30 days after which the fully grown caterpillars (12mm) bore back out through pod walls and drop to the ground to spin cocoons containing particles of soil. They hibernate over the winter in these cocoons.
There is one generation per year. Overwintering pea moths pupate inside cocoons and emerge to look for pea crops from the end of May to the end of July coinciding
with flowering time.
Each caterpillar can damage up to 6 seeds although usually damage only 1 or 2. They chew irregularly shaped holes in the peas contaminating them with frass (faeces). Attacked pods may yellow and ripen prematurely but
damage is generally not detected until the pea pods are shelled revealing the frass, silk and sometimes the larva also. Damage is easily distinguished from that of the pea weevil, which makes smooth, round holes in peas.
Pea moths attack field and garden peas along with sweet peas and vetch. Damage from pea moth is a big problem for commercial growers but gardeners can easily discard the damaged peas when shelling pods.
Levels of infestation can be minimised by
✲ planting early or late to miss the flight period of the pea moth and don’t delay harvesting peas.
✲ cover peas with horticultural fleece to keep moths off the growing crop.
✲ pea moth pheromone traps; they interfere with normal mating signals reducing their ability to mate successfully (available from suppliers such as defenders Defenders - Safe Effective Natural Biologist Pest Control for Gardeners or 01233 813121).
✲ if infestation is severe avoid planting any pea moth hosts (including sweet peas and vetch) for a couple of years. This is much more difficult on an allotment where neighbours will probably grow these plants.
http://www.pan-uk.org/Info/Gardening...ne2005Tips.pdf
The pea moth, Cydia nigricana, is 6mm long with a 12mm wingspan. It is an olive brown colour with black and white bars on the front edge of its forewings and long antennae. Between 5 and 11 days after adult moths emerge they lay flat transparent/white eggs (size of a pinhead) on the leaves, pods, flowers or stems of pea plants.
After 1 to 3 weeks (depending on temperature) minute yellowish/white caterpillars with dark heads emerge. These migrate to and bore into young pea pods. Larval development lasts from 18 to 30 days after which the fully grown caterpillars (12mm) bore back out through pod walls and drop to the ground to spin cocoons containing particles of soil. They hibernate over the winter in these cocoons.
There is one generation per year. Overwintering pea moths pupate inside cocoons and emerge to look for pea crops from the end of May to the end of July coinciding
with flowering time.
Each caterpillar can damage up to 6 seeds although usually damage only 1 or 2. They chew irregularly shaped holes in the peas contaminating them with frass (faeces). Attacked pods may yellow and ripen prematurely but
damage is generally not detected until the pea pods are shelled revealing the frass, silk and sometimes the larva also. Damage is easily distinguished from that of the pea weevil, which makes smooth, round holes in peas.
Pea moths attack field and garden peas along with sweet peas and vetch. Damage from pea moth is a big problem for commercial growers but gardeners can easily discard the damaged peas when shelling pods.
Levels of infestation can be minimised by
✲ planting early or late to miss the flight period of the pea moth and don’t delay harvesting peas.
✲ cover peas with horticultural fleece to keep moths off the growing crop.
✲ pea moth pheromone traps; they interfere with normal mating signals reducing their ability to mate successfully (available from suppliers such as defenders Defenders - Safe Effective Natural Biologist Pest Control for Gardeners or 01233 813121).
✲ if infestation is severe avoid planting any pea moth hosts (including sweet peas and vetch) for a couple of years. This is much more difficult on an allotment where neighbours will probably grow these plants.
http://www.pan-uk.org/Info/Gardening...ne2005Tips.pdf
Surely you have them even down south?
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