Why are my pear leaves curling?

[ruth_burnham]

Hi all,
I have a pear tree, planted out about 18 months ago when we moved. Last year was healthy but no pears developed fully as it's still young. This year we have lots of pear growinf but many of the new leaf shoots are emerging tightly curled and then drying out. I've never had fruit trees before so am rather hopeless with diagnosis - any suggestions?


Thanks
Ruth

[WendyC]

Almost certainly aphid damage, in fact there look to be some aphids at the top of the shoot in the first picture you have posted. The leaves get distorted because the aphids suck the sap from the leaves. If the tree isn't too big, squashing them with your fingers is quite effective.

[ruth_burnham]

Thanks for the response Wendy. There are a few aphids on the tree, but no more than 2-3 per branch - can they cause this much damage?

[boundtothesoil]

Could be aphids or Pear Leaf Midge. See link: http://www.kenmuir.co.uk/image/data/...IDGE%20_2_.pdf