Corrugated cardboard banding, applied to the trunks of host trees, works as a trap for mature codling moth larvae as they crawl on the tree in search of a place to pupate. SIR uses cardboard banding as a monitoring tool, not a management or control trap.

SIR staff band host trees primarily in areas near commercial orchards. The bands are typically left in place until the end of the growing season, at which time staff remove the banding and determine how many codling moth larvae (if any) are present. Banding is a useful tool that can aid in assessing the level of wild codling moth presence in particular trees.

If SIR places banding on your tree, please do not remove it. Leave it there for the full duration of the season.

Image Source: Tom Walker

Image Source: Tom Walker