"ned" wrote in message
...
Your thoughts please on how to protect apples from wasp predation!

We have successfully protected our currant and strawberry crops from
the birds this year with mesh cages. But have lost virtually all of
the apples (good crop from two compact eight foot trees) to wasps and
flies which seemed to get to the fruit before we felt it was 'ripe for
the picking'.
The smallest plastic mesh I have seen is about quarter inch square
which would be no good against the insects.

Do I have to resort to buying old net curtains from junk shops, or is
there a solution out there waiting for my custom?

If the wasps are eating the apples then they must be pretty ripe.
At the first sign of wasp attack I would recommend picking the apples and
storing them (wrapped individually in newspaper if you have tha patience and
the newspaper) as they will continue to ripen off the tree, and keep for a
good while as well.
Wasp attack on our plums and greengages is a sign that we haven't noticed
that they are ripe :-)
We ahve only seem wasps go for apples when they are extremely ripe and/or
damaged.

HTH
Dave R