What's eating my quince 'smyrna'?

Quince 'Smyrna' is susceptible to the same pests as all fruiting quinces, with fire blight being the most destructive threat. Codling moth damages the fruit from the inside, and quince leaf blight causes unsightly early defoliation. Aphids colonize spring growth regularly. Prompt sanitation and annual fungicide timing are the key controls.

Blossoms turn brown and die; shoot tips wilt rapidly with a shepherd's crook; infection can spread into the main framework and kill large limbs. Prune well below infection in dry conditions; disinfect tools between each cut; choose low-nitrogen feeding regimes to reduce susceptible soft growth.

Larvae bore to the core of developing fruits; entry holes plugged with brown frass; fruit drops early or is inedible at harvest. Deploy pheromone delta traps from May; apply codling moth granulovirus or kaolin clay barrier spray from petal fall; collect all windfalls immediately.

Small dark-red leaf spots coalesce; infected leaves drop by midsummer, reducing photosynthesis and next year's fruit buds. Clear fallen leaves in autumn; open the canopy with winter pruning; copper or lime-sulfur spray at the green-tip stage in wet springs.

Curling and distortion of young shoot tips in spring; sticky honeydew fouling leaves; sooty mold can reduce photosynthesis. Blast off colonies with water; apply insecticidal soap early before population builds; avoid high-nitrogen feeding that produces the soft growth aphids prefer.