apple and plum trees-should i be doing anything

Hi everyone!I have a couple of apple trees and the blossom is starting and I have 2 plum trees which are just about to start. Should i be spraying them or doing something to stop pests and diseases? I was looking at various chemicals to spray last week but most of them were not for things you were going to eat.

 

The danger in spring is codling moth on the apples, and plum moth on the plums. These are what cause the maggots in the fruit. This is the RHS advice for apples, but it also applies to the plum moth:

Codling moth (Cydia pomonella)
Plants affected

Apples, pears, and less frequently, quinces, walnuts.
Symptoms

The maggot's exit hole is often visible in the side of the ripe fruit or at the 'eye' end, (opposite to the stalk). When the fruit is cut open you can see the frass-filled core and tunnel where the maggot had been feeding.
Cause

Adult codling moths emerge in late May and lay eggs on or near developing fruits from June to mid-July. After hatching the small white, brown-headed caterpillars bore into the fruit and feed in the core region. This pest overwinters as non-feeding caterpillars under loose flakes of bark and they pupate in the following spring.
Control

Codling moth caterpillars can only be controlled on apple and pear before they enter the fruit. On trees small enough to be sprayed, the newly hatched caterpillars can be killed by using bifenthrin (Scotts Bug Clear, Doff All-In-One Garden Pest Killer or Bayer Sprayday Greenfly Killer Plus). Use one of these in about the third week of June with a second application about three weeks later. In some years egg hatching may be earlier or later due to the weather conditions. It is not worthwhile spraying quince or walnut as the level of infestation in these fruits is rarely significant, and bifenthrin is not approved for use on these plants.
Pheromone traps

More accurate timing of spray applications can be achieved using codling moth pheromone traps, which are sold by most garden shops. This consists of an open-sided box that is hung in the tree in early May. The bottom of the box has a sticky sheet on which the pheromone pellet is placed; this exudes a scent similar to that produced by virgin female codling moths to attract mates. Male moths are lured into the trap and get stuck. By counting the trapped males every week and following the instructions that come with the trap, the best time to spray can be calculated. A pheromone trap on its own cannot control codling moths, but on isolated trees it may catch enough males to reduce the females' mating success, resulting in fewer fertile eggs will be laid.

Personally I would go for the pheromones as the organic protection.

 

thats brilliant info thank you! I did see those traps in my local gc so will go and get some. is nothing worse than eating an apple and finding half a worm!!!