Apple and Pear tree pests and leaf disease

Hi everyone,

I'm quite new to the gardening although have been doing some work around our small garden in the residential estate for over 5 years now and it starts looking really nice, but I continue having some problems with Apple and Pear trees, which I have planted 2 years ago.

What I've noticed this year on our Apple tree is the tiny red insects - please see attached images.
Could anyone identify what these are and perhaps give some advice on how to deter them?

I've been using ladybird larves, but for some reason when they turn into adult, they seem to go elsewhere.
We have lots of aphids on our flowers, roses and other plants - just can't get ladybirds to visit.

Also - our pear tree seem to be getting red spots on the leaves and some white insects - again please see attached images.

Could someone advice on some remedies to these and what these actually are?

 

Hi Seb, if you want to have a look at this site (Malattie di origine entomofila) just to see if you can positively identify your insects from the pictures...once you know what they are by sure, then you can research how to get rid of them.

 

Welcome to Gardeners Corner Seb.

It looks like you have an assortment there.....a few possibles for you.

Picture 1/2......Scale insects?
3/4......Possibly damage from these insects. Did you check the underside of the leaves?
5......Could be just ordinary white fly?
6......Thrips?

 

Thanks @Sheal and @miraflores.
I'm not sure the first two are scale insects as they seem to have visible legs wheres all pictures I've seen of the scale insects look more like sucked into the stem/leaf, but I might be wrong.

I've checked white flies, but these ones don't seem to have any wings - unless they are to develop further?

 

There are many types of scale insects Seb and I think this is what you have in the link below....

scale insects on fruit trees uk - Bing images

 

Hi Seb, The first photo is, I'm pretty sure, parasitised aphids. There is a naturally occurring little wasp which lays eggs in living aphids and they're slowly consumed from inside. Gruesome but effective! Tiny red blisters on pear tree leaves is Pear Leaf Blister mite. No effective insecticide available. If trees aren't too big, hand pick infected leaves and dispose of them. It's a nuisance but won't ultimately kill the tree. No. 5 is the cast-off skin cases of aphids..they shed their skins like snakes! No. 6 is an aphid.
Ladybirds and lacewings are the best early predators, then wasps later on in the summer, but you can't make them stay! Try Googling Aphidius for details of the parasitic wasp mentioned above...you can buy them commercially and I found that they survived and thrived outside for a few years in the UK garden.

 

That looks exactly like it - thanks very much @noisette47 - appreciate it.
Shame nothing can be done about the leafs as it's overtaken pretty much most of the tree.

 

You're welcome My pear trees have got bad blister mite this year too but it doesn't affect the fruits. Far worse is Pear Midge. They lay eggs which turn into maggots that make young fruits turn black and drop off. If you spot any signs of that, make sure you religiously collect the dropped fruits and dispose of them thoroughly, otherwise they infect the tree even more the following year.

 

Also - another problem I have with a small tree I bought a while back - please see the attached images - are these the scale insects you think?

 

Looks like I've learnt something new here Noisette.

 

I've learnt the hard way, Sheal Thinking of declaring the garden as a National Centre for pests and diseases
@ seb......Yes, that's scale insect. Can be controlled by repeatedly rubbing off with a cloth soaked in soapy water if the plant isn't too big and you've got the time and patience. You need good eyesight to spot the dust-like white insects before they coat themselves in the scale. On ornamentals, soaking the ground around the plant with a systemic insecticide (or the container if potted) gets rid of them. Shhhhh....it's not 'green'! Can't do that with things like citrus, though....

 

To be honest @noisette47 I've never had fruit trees but like to try and keep up with identifying any of the pests and diseases for future reference.

 

I wonder if it's the case that the warmer the climate, the more prone to attack the plants are? It's (relatively) warm here and varies between sodden and drought. I seem to have come across every fungal disease in the book and we regularly get new insects arriving at Bordeaux and travelling via the Garonne to spread around the south-west. It's also a fruit-growing departement where the commercial orchards are heavily treated, so any untreated trees must be a haven for anything going! Still, you've got to try, haven't you? Off to have a look at my almond trees now to see whether last night's frost did any damage

 

I'm inclined to agree with that @noisette47. Having moved from south-east England to the north-west and now living in the Scottish Highlands I believe it does make a difference. An example being in the 24 years in the north west I only saw one vine weevil in my garden but on the other hand being a wetter climate snails and slugs were in abundance. I also found there were less fungal diseases further north too, my roses for instance showing much less black spot than in the south. On the other hand it could just be that different pests and diseases survive in a particular climate, be it warmer or colder, or fewer survive in a colder climate. At the moment I'm temporarily without a garden so have to wait to make judgement here.