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Pawpaw Pests
insects
and diseases
...which
we see in our nursery
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Insect
Pests
In its native habitat the Pawpaw has few pests of any importance.
The pests that do attack the Pawpaw plant are uniquely adapted to
do so, since all parts of the plant except the pulp of the mature
fruit and the wood contain substances that are general pesticides.
These are the insect pests which we see here in the Ozarks: |
This is a leaf~rolling
caterpillar, Ompalocera munroei, which
feeds on Pawpaw leaves, buds and twigs in the late Summer and Fall,
and can devastate young trees. It could probably be controlled by
dusting the leaves with Bacillus thuringensis, sold as the biological
insecticide, "BT", while the larvae are feeding.
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These are the leaf roller larvae. |
This is what they do! Nasty! |
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Another "pest"
is Eurytides marcellus, the Zebra Swallowtail
Butterfly, whose larvae feed exclusively on young Pawpaw foliage,
but never in great numbers. The adult butterfly is of such great
beauty that Pawpaw trees are sometimes planted to attract them.
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The Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly adult,
on a Pawpaw leaf in our nursery. |
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The Larva. |
The Chrysalis. |
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These are "stinging rose caterpillars",
Parasa indetermina (Family Limacodidae). Probably
not a serious pest of Pawpaw, but they sure are beautiful,
shown here nibbling on a Pawpaw leaf. They are also found
on apple, cottonwood, dogwood, hickory, oak, redbud, sycamore
and rose bushes, usually in August. |
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Diseases
Small brown spots sometimes appear
on Pawpaw leaves if they are growing close together and it is humid.
This is caused by a fungus, and is usually not a problem.
There is an disease of Pawpaw trees
that has been reported in the Pacific Northwest, in which the trees
have bark lesions, which show blue streaking in the cambium when
cut open. The trees often die. The cause is not known. We have not
seen this disease here. |
Blossom
Nursery is inspected annually by the Arkansas State
Plant Board, and our plants are certified to be free of injurious
pests and diseases. |
All
images © Blossom Nursery |
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