What's eating my pawpaw 'mango'?

Pawpaw 'Mango' (Asimina triloba) benefits from the same natural pest resistance found across the species — its annonaceous acetogenins deter most insects. Squirrels and raccoons competing for fruit are the top practical concern. The pawpaw peduncle borer can suppress flowering in spring, and deer may damage young transplants.

Fruit is removed or bitten open before maturity; significant portions of the crop can disappear within a short window. Harvest promptly at first sign of ripeness; use trunk baffles and netting on small trees; place fallen fruit in a compost bin to reduce ground-level attractants.

Moth larvae bore into flower and bud tissue, collapsing the peduncle and preventing fruit set across affected branches. Monitor for bloom timing; hand-pollinate early-opening flowers; remove dead flower parts from the ground to disrupt the life cycle.

Terminal shoots and leaves browsed on young trees, slowing establishment and exposing trees to disease through wounds. Use tree tubes or wire mesh cages on trees shorter than 1.8 m; apply deterrent sprays containing putrescent egg solids; fence the planting if deer pressure is heavy.