What's eating my pili nut?

Pili nut (Canarium ovatum), grown mainly in the Philippines, is attacked by the pili nut borer, scale insects, and fruit flies. Bats harvest ripe drupes at night. The pili nut borer (Niphades variegatus) is considered the most serious orchard pest, boring into developing nuts and reducing yield.

Weevil larvae bore into the developing nut, destroying the kernel; gummy frass at entry point on the fruit surface Apply carbaryl or neem-based insecticide during fruit development; collect and destroy fallen damaged fruit; bag nut clusters with paper or mesh in small orchards

Armoured scales on leaves and stems; yellowing, reduced vigour, die-back of young shoots Dormant or early-season horticultural oil sprays; introduce parasitic wasps; prune crowded canopy to reduce humid conditions

Puncture mark on ripening fruit skin; larval tunnels in flesh around the nut; premature fruit drop Protein-bait traps (methyl eugenol + malathion or spinosad); harvest promptly when ripe; remove and bury fallen fruit