What's eating my bignay?

Bignay is a tough, largely pest-resistant tropical tree. Mealybugs and scale insects occasionally infest stems, and birds and fruit bats flock to the heavily loaded clusters of ripe fruit. Beetle larvae (Autoserica rufocuprea) have been recorded causing severe defoliation. Treat sap-suckers with neem oil; net or harvest promptly to limit wildlife losses.

Waxy colonies on stems and branch junctions sap plant vigor and produce honeydew that leads to sooty mold Spray with neem oil or horticultural oil; dab isolated mealybug colonies with rubbing alcohol; encourage natural parasitoids

Adults cause sudden, severe defoliation of foliage; damage reported to be intense when beetle populations peak Hand-pick beetles in early morning; apply contact insecticide spray during adult emergence; beneficial nematodes (Steinernema spp.) can target soil-stage larvae

Fruit-eating birds strip ripening berry clusters rapidly; the bright-colored berries are highly attractive to thrushes and bulbuls Net fruiting branches or harvest fruit clusters as they color; early-morning harvesting reduces bird take