What's eating my surinam cherry?

Surinam cherry is relatively pest-resistant but the Caribbean fruit fly and related Anastrepha species pose a serious threat to ripe fruit. Scale insects are the most persistent foliar pest, and mealybugs and aphids attack new growth. Prompt fruit harvest and neem oil sprays manage most problems effectively.

Females sting ripening cherries to deposit eggs; larvae destroy fruit flesh from within, causing rapid rot. Harvest fruit promptly at peak ripeness; hang protein-bait traps; remove fallen fruit; apply spinosad bait sprays.

Waxy or armoured scales encrust stems and leaf undersides; honeydew leads to sooty mould, weakening the plant. Apply horticultural oil spray targeting the crawler stage; scrape off isolated colonies; prune heavily affected shoots.

White cottony masses on new growth and leaf axils; sap loss causes yellowing and distorted shoots with sooty mould. Remove manually or with alcohol-dipped cotton; spray neem oil or insecticidal soap at 2-week intervals.

Soft-bodied clusters on new shoots; cause leaf curl and honeydew deposits that invite sooty mould. Blast off with a jet of water; apply neem oil or insecticidal soap; introduce ladybirds or lacewings.