What's eating my ilama?

Ilama, a rarely cultivated Annona relative, is relatively hardy but shares the family's vulnerability to seed-boring wasps (Bephratelloides spp.) that develop inside young fruit. Mealybugs, scale insects, and aphids can colonize stems and foliage. Overall pest pressure is lower than on cherimoya or sugar apple, but fruit bagging remains the practical defense against borers.

Larvae develop inside seeds of young fruit; early-stage fruits are attacked most heavily, leading to premature drop. Bag fruits early while still small; remove and destroy any fallen or infested fruit.

Cottony white masses on stems and leaf axils; honeydew deposits and sooty mold. Spray with neem oil or insecticidal soap; use Tanglefoot on trunk to stop ant tending.

Waxy bumps on bark and stems sapping vigor; leaves may yellow in heavy infestations. Apply horticultural oil to smother crawlers; manually scrape light infestations.