Sea Grape Pests

Seagrape Borer

• The adult seagrape borer (Hexeris enhydris) is a pale yellow to tan moth with rust-colored, wavy lines along both fore and hindwings. Larvae are translucent, white and legless. Females lay eggs on the surface of the leaves. After hatching, larvae bore into twigs and feed on the soft wood inside. As they tunnel, they kill the twig. Leaves and fruit above the tunnel die and become yellow then brown. Larvae pupate in the tunnel before emerging as adults.

Control

• Seagrape borers rarely kill trees and natural predators most likely keep their populations in check. According to the University of Florida, control is typically not necessary. If the dead twigs bother you, prune them put and destroy any caterpillars found inside. Chemical control is not necessary and may not be effective as the caterpillar is protected within its tunnel.

Nipple Gall

• Galls are caused by a number of insects, including aphids, eriophyid mites, gall midges and psyllids. These insects burrow into the leaf to feed and lay eggs. As they burrow, they injure leaf tissue and the leaf responds by initiating rapid cell growth. This growth causes a raised bubble of leaf tissue called a nipple gall.

Control

• A gall uses valuable resources to form and may reduce vigor on young trees. They are generally not damaging to established trees, however, and control is not recommended. If the unsightly galls bother you, apply horticultural oil in the early spring while mites and insects are on the leaf surface. Always read and follow the manufacturer's directions carefully when using an insecticide on your tree.