Apple tree blossom

[mysteryduck]

Hey guys! These are my first apple trees, so this may be a dumb question.. but where did my blossom go? Does it die back before turning into apples? Or is this the work of apple midges or some other pest??? Also, should I be netting these? I've picked off a couple of caterpillars in the past week, so they seem to like them!

[veggiechicken]

Don't panic - it all looks normal to me (not that that means much )
The blossom is pollinated by bees, then the petals drop off leaving the baby apple behind. You can see them in your photo - small reddish lumps!
As the weeks pass, these lumps will grow bigger and in the autumn you'll be picking your own apples.
If the tree is carrying too many baby apples it will shed some next month (called the June drop) and this is also normal, so don't worry if you find some on the floor.
I don't net apple trees,.

[mysteryduck]

Brilliant! Thank you This is their first year so their branches are a bit on the skinny side. I read you're not supposed to fruit them in their first year, but my dad said a couple wouldn't do any harm. So not worried about a fruit drop..

[nickdub]

Don't panic - it all looks normal to me (not that that means much )
The blossom is pollinated by bees, then the petals drop off leaving the baby apple behind. You can see them in your photo - small reddish lumps!
As the weeks pass, these lumps will grow bigger and in the autumn you'll be picking your own apples.
If the tree is carrying too many baby apples it will shed some next month (called the June drop) and this is also normal, so don't worry if you find some on the floor.
I don't net apple trees,.

Basically correct, except for the bit about the "June drop", this happens, but its when a lot of baby apples that weren't pollinated properly fall off. A tree will often carry far too much fruit and then you get lots of v small fruit, and often a tree which only fruits every other year. In order to deal with this its best to go over trees at the end of June and remove surplus fruit-lets, so there's only a sensible number left to develop. This applies to all top fruit and can be a right PITA as it needs to be done carefully to avoid damaging the tree.

[veggiechicken]

Ah well, I can't be right all the time.

[nickdub]

Ah well, I can't be right all the time.

Nothing really misleading with what you wrote - just not quite the full story. I tend towards the pedantic in my thinking - which is a contrast with the slap-dash nature of most of my practical activities :-)