Pest identification
What's eating my white mulberry?
Birds (starlings, pigeons, corvids)
Signs: Ripe berries stripped from the tree before or immediately at harvest; entire crop can be lost within days on a smaller tree.
Control: Net the tree with fine fruit netting as berries begin to colour; harvest early in the morning; reflective tape provides short-term deterrence only.
Scale insects (California red scale, San Jose scale)
Signs: Armored scale encrusts stems and branches; heavy infestations cause leaf yellowing, dieback, and sooty mold from honeydew.
Control: Apply horticultural oil spray in winter while trees are dormant; prune heavily infested branches; natural predators (parasitic wasps) provide good biological control.
Mulberry whitefly (Tetraleurodes mori)
Signs: Adults and nymphs cluster on leaf undersides, sucking sap; honeydew and sooty mold coat lower leaves; leaf yellowing and premature drop.
Control: Reduce dust on foliage with overhead water sprays; avoid persistent insecticides that kill beneficial insects; reflective mulch beneath the canopy deters adults.
Deer
Signs: Young trees browsed back hard, especially in winter; bark stripped from the lower trunk by buck rubs in late summer and autumn.
Control: Wrap lower trunk in plastic mesh or burlap; install wire cage around young trees for the first three to four years; repellent sprays on lower branches in autumn.
Keep white mulberry pest-free
Healthy plants resist pests best. Get the basics right:
White Mulberry pests — FAQ
What is eating my white mulberry?
White Mulberry (Morus alba) is a tough, low-maintenance tree with few serious pests. Mulberry whitefly and scale insects are the most likely insects to trouble it. Birds feast on ripe berries, and deer browse young trees heavily. The mulberry borer can damage bark on mature specimens but rarely kills established trees.
How do I get rid of birds (starlings, pigeons, corvids) on white mulberry?
Ripe berries stripped from the tree before or immediately at harvest; entire crop can be lost within days on a smaller tree. Net the tree with fine fruit netting as berries begin to colour; harvest early in the morning; reflective tape provides short-term deterrence only.
How do I get rid of scale insects (california red scale, san jose scale) on white mulberry?
Armored scale encrusts stems and branches; heavy infestations cause leaf yellowing, dieback, and sooty mold from honeydew. Apply horticultural oil spray in winter while trees are dormant; prune heavily infested branches; natural predators (parasitic wasps) provide good biological control.
How do I get rid of mulberry whitefly (tetraleurodes mori) on white mulberry?
Adults and nymphs cluster on leaf undersides, sucking sap; honeydew and sooty mold coat lower leaves; leaf yellowing and premature drop. Reduce dust on foliage with overhead water sprays; avoid persistent insecticides that kill beneficial insects; reflective mulch beneath the canopy deters adults.
How do I get rid of deer on white mulberry?
Young trees browsed back hard, especially in winter; bark stripped from the lower trunk by buck rubs in late summer and autumn. Wrap lower trunk in plastic mesh or burlap; install wire cage around young trees for the first three to four years; repellent sprays on lower branches in autumn.