This control method has two pheromone lures that act as a female moth, attracting male box tree moths. Once the trap has lured them in, they drop through the funnel and into the trap. As part of our research, the RHS would like to know where box tree moth has been seen. Please submit your records via our box tree moth survey (expected time to complete survey = two minutes). Kids love mothtraps (mine do). It's a great surprise to them that there should be so many butterfly-like insects out and about at night, and they take a lot of pleasure out of having some of the showier ones on their hands when we open up the trap in the morning. There's always a nice bit of oohing and aahing when the big red hawkmoths start appearing in the traps. Thoroughly recommended as a way of teaching children about your local wildlife. Using A Sheet

If you identified an infestation early on or if the population is small enough, we recommend reading this article on effective household remedies. It describes various interesting effective methods – such as using a strong jet of water from a garden hose – and less effective approaches – such as baking powder or algae lime. And win-win: this particular treatment makes your box plants’ leaves shine for a healthy-looking box plant. Prevention: how to keep box caterpillars out of your garden Box caterpillar silk

Actinic or MV Trap?

Sáfián, Sz.; Horváth, B. (2011). "Box Tree Moth – Cydalima perspectalis (Walker, 1859), new member in the Lepidoptera fauna of Hungary (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)". Natura Somogyiensis. 19: 245–246. The Box Tree Moths has a mainly white body, a brown head and white wings – with a wingspan of about 40mm. After hatching, the box caterpillar larvae feed on the leaves of their host trees for several weeks, growing larger The main problem with box caterpillars in the UK is that they have no natural predators here. So, the only option is to use biological or chemical solutions to control and eradicate a population invading your garden. How to get rid of box caterpillars naturally

The Heath trap is a mini version of Robinson and Skinner traps, and portable for use out in the field. Typically the light source is a low wattage (15W or so) actinic tube. I have not had a great deal of success using actinic myself. Moth Trap Ethics If you’re using a traditional trap or making a trap, consider the type of light you use. Brighter lights attract more moths but might annoy your neighbours! I find actinic light best. Forceful spraying is needed to penetrate into the interior of box plants through the webbed-together leaves

As you run a mothtrap, you will catch moths which are in various part of their lifecycles, and some may perish during the night when they were caught because they were at the end of their natural cycle. This is sad but normal, although obviously you should do everything you can to avoid accelerating their demise. You will catch moths in all manner of condition - some will be fresh and in perfect condition, whereas others will be bald! it tends to be the older moths that have lost scales and are balding, although exactly why is open to some debate (I've heard it mentioned that it maybe due to crawling into small spaces). You may even catch a moth that is ready to lay its eggs and it is not unknown to have eggs laid on the eggboxes inside the trap. Kids Pheromone traps and manual removal can only do so much to get rid of box caterpillars. When these aren’t sufficient, you’ll need an insecticide. The most environmentally friendly of these options is a biological insecticide, also known as a natural or organic insecticide. Usually grown as a tall hedge, yew can be kept as low as 30cm high if you trim it. It’s a dense evergreen and works well as topiary. Japanese holly (Ilex crenata)

On top of the tub you will need to fashion a clear top with a gap to allow space for a bulb and bulb support. I made my clear top from 1mm polycarbonate, which is a highly flexible clear plastic and quite pricey alas. Just google for it and there are plenty of plastic suppliers around. Buy a sheet 2 metres by 1 metre and you'll have more than enough. My clear top sits inside a rim round the tub made from 3cm trunking (white plastic used to cover ugly cables) and is attached with screws and washers all the way round. It may take a couple of attempts to get the clear top right and you might want to map it out and use some spare material or cardboard first to make a template to cut the polycarbonate against. Making a DIY moth trap takes a little work but all in all it really isn't too difficultIf you are catching 1-2 moths per week you are unlikely to have a clothes moth infestation problem. The caterpillars feed on and are a pest of box ( Buxus), and they almost certainly arrived in the UK on imported Buxus plants. Habitat