Plum trees attract various animals, from mammals to insects, seeking their sweet, juicy fruit. Understanding which animals are drawn to plums is key to protecting your harvest.
Mammals That Feast on Plums
Many mammals consume plums, often damaging trees and fruit. Deer, for instance, browse on young plum trees and eat fallen or low-hanging fruit. They can also rub their antlers against tree trunks, causing damage.
Raccoons are agile climbers that access plums high in trees, often breaking branches. They may consume whole fruits or leave partially eaten plums. Opossums, also adept climbers, target ripe plums.
Squirrels eagerly consume plums, often before they are fully ripe, leaving gnaw marks. Domestic dogs are attracted to fallen plums, but plum pits contain cyanide and are toxic, posing a serious health risk. Avoid feeding plums to dogs due to this risk and potential choking from the pit. Bears, if present, consume large quantities of plums, often stripping trees bare and causing extensive limb damage.
Birds That Enjoy Plums
Birds pose a considerable threat to ripening plum crops. Common species like European starlings, American robins, jays, and house finches frequently visit plum trees. Starlings, in particular, may congregate in large flocks, making their damage widespread. Birds create small, beak-shaped holes in fruit, which can lead to rapid spoilage or attract other pests. They may also consume entire small plums.
Insects and Other Pests
Insects inflict substantial damage on plum fruits. The plum curculio (Conotrachelus nenuphar), a type of weevil, is a significant pest. Adult plum curculios lay eggs in developing fruit, creating crescent-shaped scars on the skin. The larvae then tunnel and feed inside the fruit, often causing premature fruit drop and making the fruit inedible.
Spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii), a type of fruit fly, attacks ripening fruit directly, laying eggs inside. This leads to feeding marks on the skin and larvae within the fruit, often causing bacterial rot. Wasps are attracted to the sweet juices of ripe or damaged plums. They can enlarge existing holes made by birds or other pests, consuming the fruit’s flesh and potentially spreading diseases.
Identifying the Culprit
Determining which animal is responsible for plum damage requires observing specific clues. Large, jagged bite marks or missing whole fruits, especially on lower branches, often suggest deer activity. Broken branches or stripped fruit higher in the tree could indicate raccoons or bears. Gnaw marks and partially eaten fruit, often with signs of tunneling, are characteristic of squirrels.
Small, circular peck marks or larger holes on the fruit surface point to birds. Insect damage is distinct: the plum curculio leaves a crescent-shaped scar, while fruit flies might cause rotting with small entry points. The presence of larvae within the fruit confirms insect infestation. Look for footprints, droppings, or the time of day damage occurs to help identify the pest. Raccoons and opossums, for instance, are primarily nocturnal feeders.
Protecting Your Plum Trees
Protecting plum trees involves preventative measures and deterrents. Physical barriers are often the most reliable method against larger animals and birds. Installing fencing, at least 6 to 8 feet tall with a small mesh, can deter deer. For raccoons and opossums, metal sleeves or baffles around the tree trunk can prevent climbing. Netting draped over the entire tree or individual branches can protect ripening fruit from birds and some larger insects.
Cultural practices also play a role in managing pests. Promptly harvesting ripe fruit reduces attraction for many animals and insects. Regularly cleaning up fallen fruit removes a food source and can disrupt pest life cycles. Scare tactics, such as reflective tape or fake predatory birds, can temporarily deter birds, but their effectiveness often wanes as animals become accustomed. Motion-activated sprinklers or radios can startle nocturnal pests. Natural repellents, such as strong-smelling concoctions, may deter pests when applied around the tree.