Cherry Tree fiasco?

Frank99

I get ruined fruit every year on my cherry tree and despite the bird netting i am thinking some it must be an insect, i saw a lot of shield bugs last year in the back yard so i am blaming them.
I have ordered a large fine net to stop bugs but some videos claim to put the net over when cherries start going red but others claim you must do it before blossoming but i'm not sure, i also get ants farming aphids on the cherry tree, any tips for protecting cherries from bugs and insects.

Ganga

I am sure i read that moths can damage cherry trees and you have to buy special bandages that go round the trunk that stops the moths from getting to the fruit on the trees.

RAS

My cherry tree is on Gisella 5 which keeps it small. It looks like a lollypop because I have to net it on two accounts:

As soon as the fruit look like small peas, the pigeons strip all the fruit they can reach and the leaves.
Once the fruit turns red, the blackbirds and other small birds eat, or worse peck the fruit. I can sometimes harvest the damaged fruit and cut away the pecked bit but look like a casualty.

The net goes on as soon as most flowers have wilted, but is left open at the bottom so failed fruit can fall off. It's closed before the fruit ripens and if possible I attach a couple of canes topped with bottles to lift the net above the tree.

The other recent problem has been some sort of cherry moth/caterpillar. I've not found the solution yet but if you pick a "whole" fruit and it bleeds, or it's squidgy, its probably got the caterpillar. Safe fruit are usually firm.

Obviously, if you don't have a pigeon problem, you can net later.

Don't cover the blossom unless you've left the means for bees to get in.

twopenny

This is the answer

What do you mean by 'ruined'?

3ft tall. Pigeons can;t land or jump up. Easy to net. I'm about to buy another.

When are the shield bugs around and annoying? A fleece should work yet let the air in. They are harmless and do good in other parts of the garden but do like fruit, take a bite and it gives the small cherry a different taste.

I seem to remember hearing a couple of times that there is a crucial point in Cherry harvest. Where there are large orchards,  heavy rain I think they need to be dried and helicopters have been used. Adjustment needed for the home garden naturally