What's eating my crabapple 'john downie'?

Crabapple 'John Downie' produces large, edible fruit and attracts the same pests as other Malus: aphids, codling moth, apple sawfly, and scab-spreading caterpillars. Birds and wasps target the ripening fruit. Aphids on young growth are the most consistent nuisance, controlled by encouraging beneficial insects and winter washing.

Severely curled, puckered young leaves; stunted shoot extension; honeydew dripping onto lower foliage and fruit Promote natural predators; spray with insecticidal soap or neem oil at bud burst before leaves fully curl; apply winter wash (plant oils) to destroy overwintering eggs

Caterpillar tunnels to the core of developing fruit, leaving a circular entry hole plugged with frass; fruit drops prematurely Hang pheromone traps from late May to catch male moths and time sprays; apply Bacillus thuringiensis or kaolin clay at egg-hatch; band corrugated cardboard around trunk to trap pupating larvae

Ribbon scarring on fruitlet surface and a frass-filled tunnel inside; mass drop of small fruitlets in early summer Remove and bin dropped fruitlets immediately; use pheromone traps to monitor flight; spray at petal fall with an approved insecticide if populations are high

Fruit pecked or hollowed as it ripens in autumn; wasps enter damaged fruit and enlarge holes Drape fine mesh or fleece over smaller trees at harvest; pick fruit as soon as ripe; remove fallen fruit promptly to reduce wasp attraction