Annona Seed Borer
Bephratelloides cubensis
A tiny wasp that is the most important pest of atemoya and sugar apple in Florida, whose larvae develop only inside the seeds of Annona fruit. The adults chew their way out through the fruit wall, leaving small holes that let in decay organisms and other insects and spoil the fruit.
🔎 How to spot it
The adult is a small black chalcid-type wasp that develops strictly within Annona seeds. The larva is a pale grub found inside an individual seed, where it feeds and pupates. The clearest sign is a clean round exit hole about two millimeters across in the skin of the fruit, made by the emerging adult.
🥀 Damage it causes
Females lay eggs singly in small immature fruit, and the larvae feed on the seed endosperm and pupate inside the seed. The damage that matters is the exit tunnel the adult chews on its way out, roughly two millimeters wide, which opens the fruit to rot organisms and secondary pests. Infested fruit is downgraded or lost even when the flesh looks sound from the outside.
🛡️ Prevent it
Bag developing fruit early, while it is still small, to keep females from laying eggs in it, which is the single most effective backyard step. Collect and destroy fallen and old fruit promptly, since seeds in dropped fruit carry the next generation. Do not leave mummified or overripe fruit hanging or lying on the ground.
🧯 If it is already here
Because the larvae are sealed inside the seeds, sprays do not reach them, so control rests on bagging fruit and strict sanitation rather than insecticides. Removing and destroying every infested fruit breaks the cycle over a season. Where the pest is established, consistent fruit bagging on a backyard tree is the dependable defense.
💡 Good to know
The annona seed borer has about four to five generations a year and attacks atemoya, sugar apple, and related Annona such as cherimoya and soursop. It was introduced to Florida in the 1920s and reproduces without males. Because the grub is hidden in the seed, the small round exit hole in the fruit is usually the first thing a grower notices.
🌱 Plants it attacks
5 plants in the library can be attacked by this pest
For educational and informational purposes only. Pest control advice is general guidance drawn from university cooperative extension sources; always identify a pest positively and read and follow the label on any product before use, especially around food crops, children, and pets.