What's eating my japanese apricot?

Japanese Apricot (Prunus mume) is most commonly troubled by peach aphids, which colonise young shoots in spring, causing leaf curl. Brown scale insects encrust stems. Peach leaf curl fungus disfigures foliage after wet springs. Plum moth larvae tunnel into the decorative fruit. Birds occasionally peck at swelling flower buds and ripening fruit.

Dense colonies on new shoots and buds in spring; leaves curl tightly around aphid colonies; honeydew and sooty mould; stunted shoot growth Remove curled leaves by hand before colonies spread; apply insecticidal soap or pyrethrum early before leaves curl shut; systemic insecticide (thiacloprid) for persistent infestations; encourage ladybirds

Oval brown waxy scales along stems and at branch joints; heavy infestations cause die-back; honeydew coats leaves with sticky film and sooty mould Apply horticultural oil (winter wash) when dormant; scrub off scales with a stiff brush in spring; acetamiprid drench when crawlers are active in early summer

Leaves emerge blistered and distorted, turning red or pink then white with spores; leaves drop, weakening the tree; new leaves may also be affected in wet springs Apply copper-based fungicide (Bordeaux mixture or copper oxychloride) at leaf fall in autumn and again at bud swell in late winter/early spring before buds open; remove and destroy affected leaves

Larvae tunnel into small fruits leaving frass at the entry hole; fruits ripen and fall prematurely; internal damage visible when fruit is cut open Hang pheromone traps from late May to monitor adult flight; apply pyrethroid insecticide when trap catches peak; collect and destroy all fallen fruit; good for bonsai where fruit is an ornamental feature