What's eating my pawpaw 'rappahannock'?

Pawpaw 'Rappahannock' is as pest-resistant as other Asimina triloba cultivars. Wildlife is the primary concern: squirrels, raccoons, and deer all target the tree or its fruit. The pawpaw peduncle borer can reduce flowering in spring. Insects rarely cause significant damage to established trees, making wildlife management the main focus.

Ripe fruit is taken from the tree or knocked to the ground and eaten; harvests can be heavily impacted in areas with high wildlife pressure. Harvest fruit promptly when it softens; install metal trunk baffles; use exclusion netting during the brief ripening window.

Early spring larvae destroy flower peduncles, preventing pollination and dramatically reducing fruit set in affected years. Supplement pollination by hand-transferring pollen between flowers; clean up fallen flower debris beneath trees; diversify plantings to support parasitoid wasps.

Tender shoots and foliage browsed on trees under 1.5 m; heavy browsing can prevent trees from reaching a productive height. Protect individual trees with wire cylinders or commercial tree tubes for 3–5 years post-planting; apply deer repellent sprays and refresh after rain.