The holes you see are caused by shothole bores, (Scolytus rugulosus (Muller)). Shot hole bores are beetles that were introduced from Europe in 1878. They can be destructive pests of fruit and ornamental trees, and shrubs. Numerous small shot holes" are seen in the bark of twigs and branches. The gummy exudate from the stone fruit trees is their response to try and fend off the invaders. The adult beetle is 2.5 mm or less in length, brown-black, with a short stubby snout with chewing mouth parts. The thorax is shiny and elongated, the elytra, or wing covers are dull. Adults burrow through the bark and live between the bark and sapwood of the plant. Adult feeding excavates narrow galleries running parallel to the wood grain under the bark. Eggs are oval to round and pearly white in color. Females lay 50 eggs in niches along the gallery she has made. As the eggs hatch the larvae excavate slender mines or burrows, usually at right angles to the maternal gallery, occasionally crisscrossing over one another between the bark and sapwood. The larval burrows are filled with excrement and grow wider as the larvae grow. They become fully grown six to eight weeks later and construct pupal cells at the ends of the mines. Upon completion of pupation young adults burrow through the bark to the outside world, mate, and the cycle starts anew. The larvae of the last generation of the year complete development during late winter and early spring as temperatures rise. In Southern Arizona there are normally three generations per year."

No you do not have zinc deficiency. The damage you see is caused by mites, most likely the pearleaf blister mites (Phytoptus pyri Pagenstecher). This mite was introduced from Europe, probably before 1900. It is a pest of most pear growing areas of the world. Feeding by these mites causes damage on leaves and fruit. Blister mites overwinter as mature females at the base of buds or under outer bud scales. Adults are light to amber yellow in color and cylindrical, tapered sharply at the posterior end and resemble a short worm. In spring, when buds begin to swell, overwintering females penetrate deeper into bud and lay eggs on live tissues. Development from egg to adult requires 20 to 30 days during spring. Feeding of females and their offspring causes blisters on developing leaves. Blister are green or red at first but turn light brown to black as affected tissue dies. As the blisters form, leaf cells near the center of the blisters die and pull apart as surrounding cells enlarge, creating a hole. Blisters vary in size, with the largest about 1/8 inch in diameter. Mites do not live in the blisters on the fruit, but the fruit will be scarred. Mites of the first spring generation enter blisters through these holes and feed on soft leaf tissue inside. Several generations develop within the blisters during a growing season. Summer generations require only 10 to 12 days to develop. When blisters become crowded or leaves become heavily damaged, mites may migrate to growing terminals where their feeding produces new blisters. Fruit damage is caused by injury to buds before bloom. Severe damage to foliage can cause leaf drop and reduce shoot growth. Look at young leaves before bloom early in the spring just as leaves are unrolling. Noticeable light green to light red rough areas where mites have been feeding will be seen. This damage becomes more noticeable as the growing season progresses.

What you are seeing are the symptoms of a problem in the root system of the apple tree. It could be a soil born fungus like phytophtera, but is more likely to be a ground dwelling insect pest called a wooly apple aphid, (Erisoma lanigerum). Also pears are injured by the wooly pear aphid, (Erisoma pyricola). These aphids are native to the eastern United States and Canada, but is a worldwide pest that attack elm, mountain ash, and some species of hawthorn trees as alternate hosts. A fluffy white wooly covering over most of the insect's posterior end of their blue black bodies and accounts for its name. This cottony looking substance can be seen in small masses on branches and shoots where injuries or pruning cuts have been made, as well as on roots.

The life cycle of these insects is rather complicated. Females lay eggs on the bark of host or alternate host trees in the late summer or fall. These eggs over winter and hatch in the spring as wingless parthenogenic, (development from an unfertilized egg), females produce ovoviviparous, (eggs hatch within the females body), stem mothers which establish colonies on the terminal leaves. These leaves soon become curled and stunted from feeding. By early summer winged forms appear and fly to other apple trees or hosts to establish new colonies. Repeated generations are produced during the summer. Some of the individuals may crawl to the roots where they continue to reproduce indefinitely. In the fall, winged individuals develop again and fly to hosts and give birth to sexual forms which eventually mate and lay over wintering eggs. Not all aphids leave the apple trees, some wingless forms remain all winter, both above and below ground, thus maintaining a continuous infestation year around. On the roots nodules are formed from the insects feeding. These nodules are rough and bumpy looking and restrict the flow of water and nutrients from the roots to the leaves. Small leaves form and eventually the bark becomes sunburned and dried out and limbs die over several growing seasons.

Periodic cicadas are distributed widely throughout the United States. The annual cicadas are present in summer, but the periodic species have long life cycles. A mature annual species is over two inches long, with a brown-black body, ornamented with clear wings that have green veins. Eyes are red to brown and quite large. There are six species of periodic cicadas in the United States. Three with a 17-year life cycle and three with a 13-year life cycle. When all life cycle coincide the male mating sounds can be deafening. Damage is caused by egg laying or ovipostiting females in twigs and branches of trees and shrubs. Branches having a diameter slightly larger than a pencil are preferred. A series of wounds are made in which eggs are laid. Weakened branches can break off or become permanently scarred and abnormal. Over 500 eggs can be deposited by one female. Nymphal cicadas hatch and then drop to the ground, burrow in to the soil, and feed on root sap. Depending on the species they will remain in soil for 17 or 13 years. At the end of this time they emerge from the ground through soil tubes they construct that are nearly a half an inch wide and a quarter inch high above the ground. Great numbers emerge at the same time, starting at dusk. They crawl up tree trunks or other objects, expand their wings, and begin their short adult life. The familiar song or call is made only by the males and is produced by a pair of drum like organs on the basal segments of the abdomen. These love calls can become very loud. Mating occurs and then egg laying begins, completing the life cycle.

There is no way of knowing if the bees you see are the Africanized Honeybee (AHB). Visually EHB and AHB are identical to each other. Experts can not tell them apart with out laboratory analysis.

They are not killer bees, even though the media makes it sounds as if these insects require human flesh to complete their life cycle! Honeybees are not native to the Americas. There are six species of honeybees in the world and over 20,000 known species of bees. European Honeybees (EHB) were brought to America by immigrants and known by Native Americans as white man's lice. In the mid 1950s, bee researchers imported some AHB into Brazil to breed with EHB to hopefully increase the EHB's honey production in tropical environments. Some AHB escaped and began moving north. They arrived in south Texas 1992.

Honeybees defend there colonies or home vigorously because this is where their young are reared and food is stored. In nature, bears, skunks and other animals try to steal their stored food. Honeybees are aggravated by motions of larger dark objects, animal smells like leather and perfumes, shampoos and perspiration. Both bee species sting in the same way, going for the head and eyes, with a barbed stinger that remains in the victim. AHB venom is just as potent as EHB venom. Venom is pumped from a bulb on the top end of the stinger through it into flesh. Stingers should be scraped out with a knife, finger nail or credit card. Trying to pull out a stinger will squeeze more venom into the victim's flesh.

A lone foraging bee whether an EHB or AHB will not bother you if you do not bother it. Swarms of honeybees are seen during the spring and summer and with AHB swarm even in the fall and warm winters. About half of the old colonies bees accompany the queen. This is the way that honeybees divide and establish colony and form another. They are not defensive because they are looking for a home and have nothing to defend. Once a place is located by scout bees and the swarm then set up house keeping. When the new colony is established with young and food stores the bees will defend it.

AHB will defend their colony more vigorously than EHB. EHB have been selected and red for centuries to be docile and productive. AHB are just like EHB but just have a bad aggressive attitude. More people die in the United States from lighting than from bee stings. The numbers perhaps will increase with the AHB but will not likely surpass lightning deaths.

It is advised to close holes and cracks in homes, barns and out-buildings that are larger than a pencil eraser. Use caulk, boards or other suitable materials. Make weekly inspections of wood piles, abandoned cars, old tires and junk piles which could make suitable place for swarming bees to establish new colonies. If new colonies are found call certified bee removal personnel such as beekeeper, pest control operators or the Arizona Department of Agriculture so action can be initiated.

If you or someone else is stung run into a house or vehicle to get away from other bees. A sting pheromone alerts other bees to sting also. Do not swat at the bees with your hands and arms just run to safety. If you are out in the open you must run for a quarter or half mile to distance yourself from the bees. We will have to learn to live with AHB but there is little difference from EHB.

Fertilizing of trees and shrubs during the winter in the High Desert should not be done. Fertilizer could stimulate plants to come out of dormancy, start new growth and winter damage could occur. These plants are resting" above the ground but do have activity in the roots if soil temperatures are warm. Normally trees and shrubs that go into winter with adequate soil moisture do not need watering during the winter. Usually winter rains or snow provide enough water. Deciduous plants do not need much water because the leaves, where transpiration occurs, are gone and nutrients needed for growth are not required because there is no shoot growth. The same holds true for most evergreen plants. When the air temperatures are cold and sunlight is reduced, why grow? However, if winter moisture is not sufficient to keep the roots moist they will die. If no winter moisture occurs for four to six weeks then water."

This is the work of the Leafcutter Bee (Megachile sidalceae). Leafcutter bees are solitary, small bees with black or gray bodies with white hair forming bands on the abdomen. Females cut out plant material from roses, ash, redbud, and other plants with smooth leaves. She uses the materials to construct cells and gathers pollen and nectar to make bee bread for the cell. She then lays eggs on the bee bread and closes the cell. Although unsightly, the damage leafcutter bees do to plants is cosmetic and will not kill the plant. No control is necessary. Bees are very important pollinators. Insects and animals pollinate over 70 percent of crops that we rely on for food, fibers, and medicines and 90 percent of landscape flowering plants, shrubs, and trees. Bees foraging for nectar and pollen in the garden are harmless and will not sting unless provoked to do so."