Identification

• The fruit tree's flowers shrivel, wilt, dry and die. The bacteria spreads to the foliage of the tree, which begins to blacken and die. Fruit becomes infected and appears brown or black. Cankers form on the stems and trunk of the tree. The tree often oozes a milky substance where infected.
  
  

Warning

• No cure exists for fire blight, according to the Clemson University. Plant fruit tree cultivars that offer resistance to the disease. The use of streptomycin can help prevent a healthy tree from contracting fire blight if applied after a traumatic event, but use should be limited to avoid the bacteria from gaining a resistance to the antibiotic, according to Purdue University.
  
  

Prevention and Solution

• Prune areas of the fruit tree afflicted with fire blight. Dispose of all infected tree material promptly and sanitize the pruning shears between trees. Use insecticides to help control insects on the fruit tree which spread the bacteria when they come into contact with the milky ooze of the tree.