Slightly sunken areas, called cankers, appear on branches and the main stem. Many parts of the plant can be affected including blossoms, stems, leaves and fruit. During wet weather you may notice a milky-like, sticky liquid oozing from infected plant parts. Insects and rain can spread the disease. In the home orchard, fire blight can be very destructive to apple and pear trees.
Pear trees are particularily susceptible.
Some ornamental pear trees, such as 'Bradford,' are considered resistant to the disease but can become infected when conditions are favorable for disease development. Some of these include crabapple, pyracantha, cotoneaster, hawthorn, photinia, quince, mountain ash, loquat and spirea. There is no cure for fire blight, making disease prevention extremely important. Although these methods are not 100 percent effective, they help reduce disease severity. Select cultivars that are less susceptible to fire blight, and suitable for planting in South Carolina.