What's eating my nectarine lord napier?

Nectarine Lord Napier, the classic UK wall-trained nectarine, suffers from green peach aphid on young shoots, red spider mite on warm sunny walls, plum moth in the fruit, and scale insects on older wood. Red spider mite is the biggest threat in hot summers when wall-trained trees on south-facing walls dry out between waterings.

Fine bronzing or stippling across leaves, often with fine webbing; severe infestations cause early leaf drop and weaken fruit development on wall-trained trees. Mist foliage regularly to raise humidity — mites thrive in hot, dry conditions; introduce predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis as biological control; insecticidal soap spray targeting leaf undersides.

Curls and distorts young shoot tips in spring; honeydew deposit promotes sooty mould and reduces photosynthesis. Pyrethrin or insecticidal soap at bud burst; pinch off infested tips; avoid excessive nitrogen feeding.

Larvae tunnel into ripening nectarines near the stone, causing premature drop or frass-riddled fruit at harvest. Pheromone traps from late May; spinosad at first adult catch; destroy windfalls promptly.

Encrusts older wood on trained stems; produces honeydew and weakens the structural framework of the trained tree. Scrape off by hand; plant oil winter wash on bare wood during dormancy.