What's eating my pawpaw 'shenandoah'?

Pawpaw 'Shenandoah' (Asimina triloba) is remarkably pest-resistant compared to most fruit trees. The zebra swallowtail butterfly caterpillar feeds exclusively on pawpaw foliage but rarely causes serious damage. Pawpaw peduncle borers can kill flower buds. Squirrels and raccoons are often the biggest practical threat to ripening fruit.

Fruit is bitten into or knocked down before fully ripe; partially eaten fruit left on the ground spoils quickly. Install tree guards or wire cages around small trees; harvest fruit as soon as it begins to soften; net smaller trees during ripening season.

Moth larvae bore into flower buds and peduncles in early spring, destroying flowers before pollination and sharply reducing fruit set. No highly effective spray; encourage diversity of natural parasitoids; remove mummified flowers; hand-pollinate early flowers before peak borer activity.

Large green and white striped caterpillars defoliate individual branches; rarely causes tree-level harm but can stress young trees. Hand-pick caterpillars from small trees; tolerate moderate feeding on established trees as this butterfly is ecologically valuable and damage is usually light.