Nectarine damage

[Mark_Riga]

I took this picture of a nectarine in early August. Vast majority of crop had similar damage so that most of it was rotting before it had a chance to ripen. I didn't see many wasps about and even when i covered some fruit, it was still attacked. I suspect it was ants as I saw one or two on the trees. Does anyone have any other ideas or have had ants attack their tree fruit? Best solution next year is to put ant powder round the trunk?

[ameno]

Looks like snail damage to me. I've never seen ants cut through the skin of a fruit, and only once climbing trees to eat fruit at all (plums that had already been wasp damaged). Snails, on the other hand, are good climbers. They often go after my apricots (when they ever pollinate, at least), and sometimes by apples and plums.

[nickdub]

Definitely damage as Ameno says, probably snail or slug - mice are an option too, though you can usually make out tooth marks if it's a rodent problem.

[Mark_Riga]

Hello, thanks for the replies. I never thought of snails. I'll keep a look out for them next year. I do get small ones on raspberries sometimes. Keeping the ground clear round them over winter tends to control them.

[ameno]

It's the marble-sized yellow and brown banded snails you want to watch out for. They're the strongest climbers, and love to climb up into trees and shrubs to graze on leaves, fruit and flowers.

[nickdub]

Hello, thanks for the replies. I never thought of snails. I'll keep a look out for them next year. I do get small ones on raspberries sometimes. Keeping the ground clear round them over winter tends to control them.

Some grease or bitumen put on the tree side of the branches where the fruitlets are swelling may do a job next year as a deterrent.

[BUFFS]

when I had chooks I used to let them roam about the fruit trees and they would hoover up all the slugs and nasties, I found that they were the best solution to this type of damage. now I have no chooks an umbrella shape of greased cardboard is around each trunk , making life hard for the slugs and better for my fruit crops..

[Nicos]

You've not considered it could be wasp damage?... just an alternative to confuse you further

[ameno]

You've not considered it could be wasp damage?... just an alternative to confuse you further

He already said that it was still attacked, even when covered.
Also, in my experience wasps tend to make a relatively narrow opening then dig some way into the fruit (at least that's what they do with plums and apples). That wide, shallow damage in the picture, however, looks just like snail grazing.

[Nicos]

^^^ good to know!