What's eating my acerola?

Acerola's most serious pest is the fruit fly (Anastrepha and Ceratitis species), which lays eggs inside ripening cherries so larvae ruin the flesh. Scale insects, mealybugs, and root-knot nematodes also cause significant damage. Harvest fruit promptly, use protein-bait traps for fruit flies, and treat sap-suckers with horticultural oil.

Females sting ripening fruit to lay eggs; larvae feed inside the flesh causing rot and premature drop Use protein-bait traps; harvest as soon as fruit ripens; collect and destroy fallen fruit; apply spinosad-based bait sprays

Sap-sucking colonies on stems and leaves weaken the plant and secrete honeydew, leading to heavy sooty mold Apply horticultural oil or neem oil spray; scrub scale off stems manually; encourage parasitic wasps

Root galling causes slow decline, poor fruit set, and reduced vigor, particularly severe in young trees Plant into well-drained, nematode-free soil; apply organic matter to boost beneficial soil fungi; consider nematicide drenches for severe infestations