What's eating my european pear?

European pear trees are most seriously damaged by pear psylla, which secretes sticky honeydew and transmits pear decline phytoplasma. Codling moth bores fruit; fire-blight (bacterial) devastates blossoms and shoots; pear slug sawfly skeletonises leaves. Deer and birds also raid fruit at maturity.

Heavy honeydew sooting on leaves and fruit; russeting and premature drop; vectors pear decline phytoplasma causing tree decline Apply dormant horticultural oil before bud swell to kill overwintered adults; use kaolin clay throughout the season; release Anthocoris predatory bugs

Larvae tunnel to the core, producing a brown frass-filled channel and causing premature fruit drop Pheromone traps to time sprays; apply codling moth granulosis virus (Cyd-X) or spinosad at egg-hatch after petal fall; remove mummified fruit

Shiny, slug-like larvae skeletonise the upper leaf surface, leaving a papery brown membrane; repeated defoliation weakens the tree Knock larvae off with a jet of water; dust with kaolin clay or wood ash; apply insecticidal soap; a single spinosad spray controls heavy infestations

Deer strip lower branches and browse young growth; starlings and wasps puncture ripe fruit, leading to secondary rot Use tree guards and 1.8 m fencing against deer; hang reflective tape or bird-scarer netting over fruiting branches