Mark Cox, of Baytree Garden Centre in Weston, says that grease bands will help to stop pests from hitting fruit trees

Storm Babet has ripped through my garden turning what was a pleasant view into a scene from the battle of Bannockburn. I swear this morning I heard someone whispering” long live the Bruce.” Now, I have always been a fan of the great entertainer Sir Forsyth but I had no idea that he was that old when he passed several years ago.

So with the bodies of several thousand men and horses strewn across the land and with the echoes of wailing women filling the air I set about tidying up my little piece of paradise. A few hours later parts of the garden were visible once more - but only just.

Keen to restore my flagging energy levels I was pleasantly surprised to receive a fresh cup of tea and specialist energy food called the Hob Nob; other specialist energy foods are available. Well, the effects were almost instantaneous and once fully consumed the fallen leaves were all collected and placed in a compost bin. The broken tree branches were now all cut up into small pieces and were drying in my wood store for use as kindling. The paths were visible once more and the wounded had been shipped off to hospital.

Though I do apologise to those stuck in casualty on Friday, behind the 3,000 or so bruised and battered kilt-wearing soldiers waiting for triage.

With the garden looking loved once more my attention was drawn to my fruit trees by the pond. I stood scratching my head for a while as I knew there was something that I had intended to do to them back in the spring but for the life of me I couldn’t remember. Just as I was taking my wellies off they are Barbour ones, great quality, had them for years but, the soles have just started to wear through so if anyone from Barbour is reading……

Grease bands, bally Winter Moth Caterpillars - that was it I thought. In the spring I’d noticed holes in the blossom and leaves of my fruit trees. Many of the fruits that I’d harvested were also misshapen which was another indicator of Winter Moth Caterpillars.

Winter Moth Caterpillars, which are about 2cm long, hatch from eggs laid by the female wingless moth. These moths emerge from pupae in the soil surrounding the trees in November through to April.

They then crawl up the trunk and over the branches were they lay their eggs. In the spring when the tree blossoms it triggers the caterpillars into hatching. It’s then that they start feeding.

When they’ve had their fill they drop to the ground where they burrow into the soil to pupate ready for the next cycle.

Most infestations do little harm to the tree but large- scale attacks can really weaken young trees. For me the best way to tackle this is to use grease bands which cause the least environmental damage.

Essentially a grease band, as it implies, is a band of grease that you can wrap around the lower trunk of your trees. The grease traps the female Winter Moths as they crawl over the band preventing them from laying their eggs. Unfortunately these grease bands will also catch other insects and crawling invertebrates but in my opinion it is a far better way to tackle this problem than using a pesticide.

It’s important to keep the grease band free of debris such as leaves etc so that the band has the largest surface area it can to catch the moths.

So with the night drawing in and the smell from the opposing armies’ camp fires filling the air whilst they lick their wounds, I decide to call it a day.

It may be quiet now but who knows what battle may rage again tomorrow!