| our plums have bugs and are uneatable now. what can we use to prevent that from happening again? |
| The plum sawfly lays eggs on flowers during the spring. Once the flowers produce fruit, the eggs hatch and the maggots tunnel into the fruit. A gardener can look closely at the new fruit for tiny holes, which are an indication of maggot infestation. When the damage to the fruit becomes widespread, the holes will ooze a dark fluid. Prevent the adult sawfly from living to lay their eggs by digging up the soil around the plum tree in the fall. Adult sawfly pupae winter in the soil at the base of the trees. By turning up the soil and exposing the pupae to the cold fall nights, they will die and be unable to lay eggs in the spring. Birds will also feed heavily on the exposed pupae. In the spring, spray the tree with insecticide, which can be purchased at a garden center. Spray the tree when the flower petals begin to fall. This will kill the eggs and larvae before they have a chance to infest the young fruit. |
