What's eating my conference pear?

Conference pear's main pest threats are pear leaf blister mite causing pale blisters, pear midge whose grubs destroy fruitlets in June, and codling moth in the fruit. Slugs and snails damage young bark at ground level. Pear midge is the most impactful pest on a commercial scale, wrecking the crop before it forms.

Fruitlets swell abnormally then turn black and fall in late May–June; cutting a fruitlet open reveals white maggots in the core Remove and destroy all blackened fruitlets promptly; do not compost them; cultivate the soil under the tree in autumn to expose pupae; no effective home-use insecticide in the UK

Pale yellow or pink blister spots on upper leaf surface from spring; blisters turn brown or black by summer; heavy attacks reduce photosynthesis Squash blisters early; apply a plant-oil winter wash to smother overwintering mites; remove and burn severely affected leaves

Larval tunnelling into mature fruit; frass at the entry hole; fruit drops or is maggoty at harvest Pheromone traps from late April; pyrethrin spray at egg-hatch; collect and destroy fallen fruit weekly

Bark gnawed at the base of young trees in autumn and winter; also damage low-hanging ripe fruit Clear debris from around the trunk; apply wildlife-safe iron-phosphate pellets; fit a physical copper ring or grit mulch around the base