What's eating my apple 'cox's orange pippin'?

Cox's Orange Pippin is one of the most pest-susceptible apple varieties. Codling moth ruins fruit, woolly aphid colonises bark and wounds, and apple scab (a fungal disease) weakens the tree's defenses. Canker-weakened bark invites secondary pest entry. Regular monitoring and a winter wash are essential.

Tunnels to the core with frass; entry holes at fruit eye or shoulder; heavy infestation causes June drop or maggoty harvest Pheromone traps from late April; pyrethrin or Bacillus thuringiensis sprays at egg-hatch; corrugated cardboard bands around trunk to trap pupating larvae

White waxy fluff covering colonies on bark, spurs, and old pruning cuts; underlying galls disfigure wood Scrub with a stiff brush and diluted methylated spirits; spray with a systemic insecticide in spring; prune out heavily infested shoots

Scarring ribbon on young fruitlets; tunnelling causes fruitlets to drop in early June Pyrethrin spray within one week of 80% petal fall; destroy all June-drop fruitlets to break the lifecycle

Severe leaf curl and fruit distortion from late April — Cox is notably susceptible; colonies cause significant crop loss Apply insecticidal soap at bud-burst before leaves curl shut; use winter plant-oil wash to smother overwintering eggs