This is the first year my Mutsu Crispin apple tree ripened. It is, also, the first year I’ve seen these reddish spots on an apple. Is this a fungi/disease? If it is, what is it known as? So far these spots mean the apple’s flavor profile has reached a very pleasing apple cider taste. So not all bad. Just curious what it is.
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Thanks for the identification. Do you have any experience with San Jose Scale? Would you treat for it? I have hundreds of fruit/nut trees. So far this is the only tree with the reddish signs that I’ve noticed. I’ll have to have a more careful look at my trees later.
Sorry, I had no chance to fight it - I only had it once in 2020, and in 2021 I didn’t have apples. This year I didn’t inspect the apples yet. But I can tell you, they do not affect apples much. I stored my Goldrush till March, and damage didn’t affect the storage much.
Hit the tree with 2% hort oil in spring sometime from half inch green through tight cluster. I remember that scale or mites were better treated on the earlier side of that window while the other later but I’ve forgotten which.
Keep your eyes open and maybe use a strong hand glass to make sure they don’t return during the growing season. You can always hit them with 1% during spring and summer if temps don’t go above 90F or so. During the growing season I use something called Centaur.
That’s good to hear that they don’t affect apples much. My Goldrush as of now doesn’t have any signs of SJS, but it is getting a beating from the European hornets. They moved in and ate all of my pears and have done extensive damage to the apples. It’s neat to see the dried skins of the fruit. But wow, do those bees eat through the fruit.
Thanks for the advice. I’ll look into putting this into practice next season
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Mummified fruit from the European hornet’s rampage
@Agrexias , one reason I banished mutsu to my “bad apple” plot is because it wasn’t much of a looker. You’ve just reconfirmed that for me. 
No matter what I did, it was the most horrible looking tree and fruit in my yard.
Glad to hear it’s tasting pretty good, nonetheless. Maybe I’ll give it a second chance.
A good Mutsu is a treat! They naturally grow large enough that I can barely finish one.
I think this is interesting. The author writes about the use of disruptive pheromones as an alternative to horticultural oils for scale.