What's eating my starfruit?

Starfruit is most commonly damaged by stink bugs and brown marmorated stink bugs — they pierce the ribbed fruit, leaving hard discolored spots in the flesh beneath. Fruit blotch miners scar the waxy skin surface. Scale insects and mealybugs attack stems. Birds, opossums, and raccoons also target ripening fruit, leaving V-shaped gouge marks on the ribs.

Pinhole entry wounds on fruit surface; dry, corky, discolored flesh beneath punctures. Bag fruit before ripening; use fine netting over the canopy; hand-collect adults in the morning.

Meandering brown trails on the fruit's waxy cuticle, reducing cosmetic quality. Remove affected fruit; apply neem oil preventatively during fruit development.

Encrustation of stems and leaf undersides; yellowing, sooty mold, and reduced vigor. Horticultural oil or insecticidal soap sprays; prune and destroy heavily infested branches.

V-shaped gouges along the fruit ribs; damaged entry points allow fungal rots to colonize flesh. Net or cage smaller trees; harvest promptly at color change.