Yellow things hanging in trees...

One of the questions I am fairly regularly asked by visitors is:

'What are those rectangular yellow things hanging in trees?' 

It took us a little while to figure it out, but here's an example of what they refer to:

If you click the image to see it in bigger, better quality, you may observe some little dark dots on some of the yellow rectangles.  You might guess that they are flying insects of some kind.

If so, you would be correct in your surmise. 

These yellow rectangles are extremely sticky, and seem to last for months, reducing insect damage to fruit trees without the need for insecticides. They can be bought inexpensively at many shops - including such unlikely places as our local fruit shop - and are quite effective. We haven't used them ourselves, not having any fruit trees; but many of our neighbours do. 

They do not exactly add to the beauty of the foliage, it has to be said. But they are undoubtedly preferable to spraying toxic chemicals onto the fruit, or, indeed, having all the fruit destroyed by insects.