Firstly, it seems strange that birds would nest in young fruit trees. Wouldn't pick
a nice tall tree to really get protection?

I personally never heard of any such spikes you seek. The best suggestion so far,
seems to be to temporarily cover the nest while you spray.

In answer to the organic aspects of fruit, there is a big difference between fruit
grown commercially and that in your backyard. The former gives you no control
over when the last spraying was done before picking. In your own orchard, you
can time the spraying so that enough time has elapsed before picking. These
chemicals will break down from exposure to the elements (sun, rain, and wind),
given enough time. Of course, it is always wise to wash your fruit before consumption.
I use traps and dormant oil, but without sprays, you can kiss goodbye to a large portion
of your harvest.

Sherwin D.

"K, T, E & N" wrote:

I've got some young fruit trees that I'm not going to use the fruit from
(too young still to have much). The birds are nesting in the trees so I
would rather not spray the trees. Are there any spikes for systemic insect
control or disease control that those in the know would recommend? Would
appreciate advise to help keep the trees healthy.

I have apple, peach, plums and cherry.

Thanks,

Kim