What's eating my cherimoya?

Cherimoya trees face mealybugs as their worst threat — ants farm and spread them across shoots and fruit. Snails rasp bark and foliage at night, while scale insects coat stems and weaken vigor. Aphids colonize tender new growth. For most pests, neem oil or horticultural oil plus ant-exclusion banding on the trunk keeps infestations manageable.

White cottony clusters on shoots, stems, and young fruit; ants actively tend and spread colonies. Band trunks with Tanglefoot on masking tape to exclude ants; spray mealybug colonies with neem oil or insecticidal soap.

Flat or waxy bumps on bark and stems; sap loss causes yellowing leaves and dieback of weaker branches. Apply horticultural oil or neem oil to smother crawlers; remove heavy infestations manually.

Ragged feeding damage on leaves, young bark, and low-hanging fruit overnight. Apply copper tape around the trunk base or use iron-phosphate slug bait; ducks in the orchard are a classic biological control.

Curled, distorted new leaves; sticky honeydew deposits that encourage sooty mold. Knock off with a strong water jet; treat with insecticidal soap or neem oil if colonies persist.