I would go ahead and start a spraying schedule. You may have some pests already, but you'll certainly cut down the numbers enough to have some nice apples. We planted a Granny Smith last year as well, and this year it surprised us by being covered in blossoms. After we planted we found out that they are not recommended for zone 5 (long ripening time), but I figured the apples don't have to be totally ripe for pie!

You have several different issues going on with the tree. Aphids can be controlled very effectively with Merit 75WP, although it's rather expensive for home use. Otherwise, since you say they're "coming up from underground," I assume you mean they are being farmed by ants. Try a granular soil insectide (something meant for grubs, ants, etc.), and do a dormant oil spray in the witner. As far as pruning goes, you can probably prune it dramatically. I took one of my overgrown apple trees a few years ago, and cut everthing back to a few major stubs about six to eight feet long coming off of the trunk. Best thing I could have ever done for it, before the dramatic pruning, it was old, overgrown, full of weak, less-than vigorous wood, etc. This treatment made it regrow shorter, fuller, and much more vigorously. I did this in late March, so that the tre didn't have to be stressed all winter. I don't know if others will agree with my method, but it worked very well for me the one time I tried it.

I am well aware of what modern day experts recommend. I disagree. I have experimented for 40 years on every kind of tree in my yard. An open wound, like all unsealed drying wood, cracks. Water enters the cracks along with debris and causes rot. Bugs find the moist rotting environment enjoyable and take up residence. Next thing you know you have one of those trees that are all hollow in the heart. The experts say the tree shuts the wound off and everything's Ok. Well if you don't care how long the tree's life span is and it just has to live as long as you do, Ok, otherwise, it's crap! Just like collar cuts. Under the right conditions, with a branch at a good horizontal angle, they're great, but not every situation is ideal and when you have three or four branches intersecting a crotch to remove it's going to take close cuts and sculpting with chisels to get cuts that will drain and heal and not rot. Keep in mind, these new methods are designed for todays professionals who must temper perfection with time is money. Sterilization takes time. Reworking the cut with hand tools takes time. Periodically inspecting and renovating the wound takes time. Properly treating the wound takes time and an improperly dressed wound is worse than no dressing at all. If you can come up with a reasonable compromise then you have saved a lot of time, therefore, money. None of this applies to the home orchardist. He can do a little at a time and do it right. Remember, these same experts are the ones who prune maples in March along our highways and byways, instead of waiting until just after bud break which would promote an almost immediate callus to form, and no bleeding. Lastly, fruit trees seem to be about the slowest to heal and the most prone to fungal diseases, so any precaution, no matter how time consuming is warranted. Methods like clean, close cut and wound dressing were developed over thousands of years by the people who developed most of our fruit and nut cultivars from wild, inedible plants, the Chinese and the Italians. Even if my own experiments hadn't convinced me, I'd still ere in favor of the ancients!

Thank you for your inputs! It is really useful to get some new points of view. I thougt about pruning lower branches and filling in for privacy. These branches are thick, so I am afraid that it will be too harmful for the tree. My next door neighbour pruned several lower branches of her pine. Pine died over 1 year. I am not sure what was the reason: drastic pruning, infection or something else. On the other hand, these are too low and too long now. They cover the area of at least 20' in diameter each. And I can not use the shade everyone is talking about! This shade is too deep to plant anything under these trees. Probably, it is not clear from the pictures, but this space is completely wasted for me. These two trees consumes about one third of all available area in my backyard. Columnar trees like Hollies would be much more compact. Anyway, if I will go with pruning lower branches and interplanting something evergreen between these two trees, can you please recommend something that will tolerate dappled to full shade? I was thinking about Camellias, will they work? A couple of things: 1. 6' fences are not allowed here. 2. I do need privacy in winter time also. It is not about using the yard. The neighbours' houses are too close, they all are 2 story homes. All our living areas including bedrooms will be exposed. The good thing is that these houses are higher than ours, so we do not need very tall evergreens to screen them. 3. 2 out of 4 surrounded us yards are cluttered, full with dead and overgrown ugly plants. I would love to get this obscured also. 4. Sorry for my English! I try to do my best, but with long posts like this one... :-)