Ab Pip as in Newtown? I don't know, my niece's were pretty much bug free with no spray but it's (or was ... I'm working on her and her acres :) ) the only apple within sight and her pear is extremely hard and late. I'd love to put a scion from her tree there but I think it would be the same problem different apple. If you meant AR Black it seems fairly bug resistant. By the time that tree was bearing the bugs were winning the organic battle and I was giving up and not even trapping. I'd still get a handful that weren't perfect for storage but were edible. I had some perfect apples from it during my neglect period but nothing to get excited about. Most of the damaged late term apples from it were apple maggot, they're constant all through the summer. I didn't start spraying (which is where I am a newbie) until late June/early July last year and there were some curculio drops but nothing like from the Cortland/McIntosh. But they are rock hard, or if I was writing a catalog, "crisp" (I wonder if the kids that stole a branchful in September will be stealing any this year). I hope my flowers are off and it's not going to rain so I can get out and spray today. A good fruit set of McIntosh without a wave of curculio drops will be heaven.

Yes, thin them out, mercilessly. Especially since this is a young tree. If not, you'll have substandard fruit this year and probably none next year. Try to keep the best looking, largest fruit in each cluster with the thickest stems. You may have to remove all fruits from some clusters if the clusters are too close together. Guidelines vary for how many fruits to keep. I try to keep 12" between any two apples, but I made that one up myself. Another one I've read is that there should be at least 30 leaves per apple. That's probably better since it accounts for uneven distribution throughout the tree.

Sharppa, crescent shapes are more likely egg laying; round wounds can just be feeding bites. Also look at how deformed the apple is overall. The more deformed the further the PC got in it. Also if the wound is oozing at all its surely a bad one, thin it. I was thinning last night so I was making those decisions. Fortunately in nearly all spots I could thin all the PC damage and not lose anything, but in a couple spots I had to make decisions. My Hudsons Golden Gem gets absolutely nailed every year, not sure why. Scott

The people using chemical apple thinners have taught me a lot about weather and fruit drop. During those first weeks after bloom there is a large effect of carbohydrate levels in the tree vs fruit number and growth rate. Things increasing photosynthesis and carbohydrates hold more fruit on the tree. If energy levels in the tree fall, fruit falls off more and sooner. Their thinners are much more effective during warm cloudy weather than during cool weather with sunny conditions. Warm weather increases fruit growth and carbohydrate needs. Clouds reduce carbohydrates and the fruit falls off. A few days under total shade will knock all the fruit off the tree.