Pest identification
What's eating my candlenut?
Soft scale insects (Coccus spp.)
Signs: Yellow stippling on leaves; thick honeydew deposits promote black sooty mould on foliage and branches
Control: Spray horticultural oil in the dormant or early-season window; introduce parasitic wasps; prune to improve airflow
Stink bugs / shield bugs (Pentatomidae)
Signs: Puncture marks on developing nuts causing premature drop and shrivelled kernels
Control: Hand-pick adults and egg masses in small plantings; use exclusion netting over nut clusters; kaolin clay sprays deter feeding
Leaf-eating caterpillars (Eutelia spp. and loopers)
Signs: Ragged holes in leaves, defoliation of young trees in outbreak years
Control: Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) spray at early instar stage; hand-remove clusters of eggs; encourage parasitic wasps
Keep candlenut pest-free
Healthy plants resist pests best. Get the basics right:
Candlenut pests — FAQ
What is eating my candlenut?
Candlenut (kukui) trees face the macadamia felted coccid, scale insects, and stink bugs on nuts. Leaf miners and caterpillars chew foliage. Rats gnaw maturing nuts off the tree. Scale insects are the most reliably reported pest across candlenut's cultivated range.
How do I get rid of soft scale insects (coccus spp.) on candlenut?
Yellow stippling on leaves; thick honeydew deposits promote black sooty mould on foliage and branches Spray horticultural oil in the dormant or early-season window; introduce parasitic wasps; prune to improve airflow
How do I get rid of stink bugs / shield bugs (pentatomidae) on candlenut?
Puncture marks on developing nuts causing premature drop and shrivelled kernels Hand-pick adults and egg masses in small plantings; use exclusion netting over nut clusters; kaolin clay sprays deter feeding
How do I get rid of leaf-eating caterpillars (eutelia spp. and loopers) on candlenut?
Ragged holes in leaves, defoliation of young trees in outbreak years Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) spray at early instar stage; hand-remove clusters of eggs; encourage parasitic wasps