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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 wood contain potent
pesticides. These are the insect pests which we see here in the
Ozarks: |
This
is Omphalocera munroei, the Asimina
webworm moth.
The caterpillar feeds on Pawpaw leaves, buds and twigs in
the late Summer and Fall, and can devastate young trees. It
can be controlled by dusting with Bacillus thuringensis, (
BT ), while the larvae are feeding. |
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Here
are the Adult Moth
and Pupa.
These two photos:
Copyright © 2007 Jeff Hollenbeck |
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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.
(See
also our Butterfly
Garden page.) |
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
in humid
conditions,
such as might occur with young trees in tubular tree shelters, or
if they are surrounded by dense weeds.
This is caused by a fungus, and is usually not serious.
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 (other than Jeff' Hollenbeck's) are © 2009 Blossom Nursery |
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