from IPPSI: Improved Plant Protection in Solomon Islands, a project financed by ACIAR, the
Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Canberra. Authors: Helen Tsatsia, MAL &
Grahame Jackson, TerraCircle.
It is an insect that damages fruits
of banana when they are very young and still wrapped in leaves. The scientific name
is Nacoleia.
The moth (photo, top right) lays its eggs near the flower. The caterpillars (photo, left
arrowed) hatch and then enter the flower.
The caterpillars feed on the skin of the young fruit. A crust or scab forms on the
damaged parts (photo, lower right). If the damage is severe, the fingers are misshapen.
Sometimes, the caterpillars eat through the skin and feed on the flesh of the fruit.
Look at the young developing fruit. Look for feeding damage, black scabs on the skin,
or caterpillar droppings. The moth is light brown with small black spots on the wings.
Inspect the banana plants daily for new flowers. Before the flowers bend horizontally;
partly or completely remove the leaves around the flower; then spray the fruit with
water, dust them with ashes or spray with insecticides. In Australia, farmers inject the
flowers with insecticides, when it is still upright. Dilute insecticide (20 to 40 ml) is
injected a third the way down the fruit. See your MAL extension officer for details.