What's eating my loquat?

Loquat's most damaging pest is the codling moth, whose larvae tunnel into ripening fruit and turn it brown and inedible. Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) attacks in tropical regions. Scale insects encrust stems, and black citrus aphids colonise new growth. Bagging young fruit is the most reliable physical protection.

Larvae bore into developing fruit, leaving a entry hole with frass; infested fruit turns brown and drops prematurely. Bag individual fruit clusters with paper bags at marble stage; apply horticultural oil sprays at petal fall; use pheromone traps to monitor adult flight.

Females sting ripening fruit to lay eggs; maggots liquefy flesh from the inside, making fruit unmarketable. Use protein-bait traps; bag fruit; remove fallen fruit immediately; apply spinosad bait sprays.

Dense colonies on new shoots and flower clusters cause curled, stunted growth and sticky honeydew leading to sooty mould. Knock off with a strong water jet; apply neem oil or insecticidal soap; encourage lacewings and parasitoid wasps.

Hard or soft scales encrust stems and leaf undersides; heavy infestations weaken branches and promote sooty mould. Apply horticultural oil spray during the crawler stage; prune and dispose of severely infested branches.