What's eating my asian pear?

Asian pears (Nashi) face pear leaf blister mite, pear psylla, codling moth, and fire blight in warmer regions. Birds and wasps target the crisp, sweet fruit as it matures. Codling moth is the most serious insect threat, tunnelling into the large fruits and making them unsaleable.

Larvae bore to the core of the round fruit; entry holes plugged with brown frass are visible at harvest; affected fruits drop early. Pheromone traps from May; apply spinosad or an approved pyrethrin at petal fall and again 3–4 weeks later; remove windfalls promptly.

Heavy honeydew deposits cause sooty mould on leaves and fruit, reducing photosynthesis and fruit appearance. Apply insecticidal soap at bud break; avoid broad-spectrum insecticides that eliminate natural predators like anthocorid bugs.

Pink to red raised blisters on leaves that later turn black; heavy infestations can defoliate young trees. Remove and destroy affected leaves; no widely available miticide for home use — well-established trees tolerate infestations without lasting harm.

Peck into maturing fruit, opening wounds that attract wasps and allow rot organisms to enter. Net smaller trees with fine-mesh fruit netting; use reflective bird-scaring tape as a deterrent on larger specimens.