Ukrainian Gardeners Fight Pests with Cardboard Belts

Ukrainian gardeners are using cardboard bands around fruit trees to combat codling moths and other pests that damage plum, apple, and cherry harvests. These simple “trap belts” mimic natural cracks in the bark where insects hide to pupate or overwinter.

Gardeners wrap a 10-20 centimeter wide strip of corrugated cardboard around the tree trunk at a height of 50-60 centimeters. The belts are checked regularly and replaced, then destroyed, ideally by burning, to eliminate the collected pests.

This method offers a chemical-free way to reduce pest populations. The practice is effective on a variety of fruit trees, including apple, pear, cherry, peach, apricot, nectarine, and walnut trees.

Gardeners apply the belts twice a year, in mid-May and late August, to target different generations of the pests. Beyond cardboard, gardeners also employ methods like soil covering, herbal treatments, and pheromone traps for pest control.