I found what looks to be like PC incisions on my apples, then I went back a couple days later to look at the progress,
and the fruitlets have this rusty looking growth coming from the bite. What are you guys think?
It is very ugly looking.
and the fruitlets have this rusty looking growth coming from the bite. What are you guys think?
It is very ugly looking.
Which state are you in?
Appears similar to the European Apple Sawfly damage shown below.
Curculio, coming out Aliens style.
When you spray don’t forget to spray the soil under the tree, that’s where it goes to overwinter so the next generation can start again next year.
Thank you for the responses. I’m in Massachusetts. The bite originally looked like pc, a slight moon shape mark, but I’ve never knew this can happen afterwards. Good to know about spraying the soil. Do you spray the soil at the end of the season? @don1357
Just thinking out loud…
I’ve not aware of such damage caused by PC on apples. I don’t believe it to be typical PC damage.
I recall @clarkinks stated pears fruit grow too fast and crush the PC larvae inside the fruit. I’ve seen the same said of apple fruit as well. If it is PC on @Johnl’s apple, maybe the fruit was growing just slowly enough for the PC larvae to survive.
In apple, plum curculio larvae are unable to complete development within growing fruit because of the pressure exerted by the hard, expanding tissue. However, feeding by larvae can cause fruit to drop prematurely from trees and it is within these apples that they are able to complete development.
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Remember that is once the fruitlets size up. At first set small fruit might drop from PC. I mention this because @Johnl is in zone 5b and the cool weather hung on longer than expected in many locations.
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It very well could be PC. I’ve seen black walnuts with PC strikes that dropped premature.
The only thing I get those suckers on is a saskatoon bush. I have been ignoring them since they showed up 2 years ago but I’m about to spray this year after petal fall and will follow up on the soil, in the fall after dormancy. Basically once they establish their life cycle on a bush or tree they just keep cycling from plant to soil.
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