What's eating my crabapple 'hanagasa'?

Crabapple 'Hanagasa' faces apple aphids, woolly aphids, codling moth caterpillars, and apple scab-associated damage from insects sheltering in fungal lesions. Deer and birds also damage young shoots and fruit. Aphids are the most frequent attacker, colonising new growth in spring and causing leaf curl.

Dense green or woolly white colonies on shoot tips and undersides of new leaves; leaves curl, shoots distort, and sticky honeydew coats foliage Blast colonies off with a strong jet of water; encourage ladybirds and lacewings; spray with insecticidal soap or neem oil in spring when colonies first appear

Creamy-pink caterpillars tunnel into developing fruitlets, leaving frass-filled entry holes and causing premature fruit drop Hang pheromone traps from petal fall to monitor adults; apply codling moth granulosis virus (Cyd-X) or kaolin clay to the developing fruitlets; use sticky trunk bands to trap larvae

Larvae cause a characteristic scar ribbon on the fruit skin before tunnelling into the core; affected fruitlets drop in early summer Remove and destroy dropped fruitlets promptly; apply a pyrethrin-based spray at petal fall if adults were seen the previous season

Bark stripping on young trunks in winter and browsing of tender new shoots and flower buds in spring Wrap trunks with spiral guards or chicken wire; use deer-repellent sprays; fence young trees in high-pressure areas