victoria plum pests. can anyone ID these?

[40apple40]

my victoria plum tree is about 12 years old.

this year i've just noticed a weird larvae that is attached to most of the fruit.

there are also some attached to some of the leaves.

here's links to a couple of pictures:





i've read about sawfly but couldn't find any pictures similar to what i have.
the larvae are actually stuck to the leaves & fruit.

can anyone help me identify them & maybe offer any advice on how to get rid of them?

thanks.

[FB.]

Probably ladybird "cocoon" - the larva will have been eating the aphids which plague most fruit trees.

[40apple40]

thanks for that.

i guess thats good isn't it?
it may be a dumb question but do you think would they have been eating the fruit or just the aphids?

at first i thought it looked liked they crawled out of the fruit & then "hatched" out of the cacoon but they are stuck to the some of the leaves too so maybe they aren't eating the fruit at all & just stick to any surface as part of their cycle?
do i need to get rid of them or are they a good thing to have?

i've always been under the impression that lady birds are a good thing to have so i don't want to do the wrong thing.

thanks again.

[rustylady]

Ladybirds are good - leave them where they are.

[40apple40]

that seem like good news then.
thanks for the info.

[Two_Sheds]

My first thought was ladybird pupa. Ladybirds are carnivorous, they don't eat plums

[FunkyFlowerpot]

They are definitely ladybird larvae x


Sent from my iPhone using Grow Your Own Forum mobile app