My flowers are dying. What is likely to be the problem?
The most common cause is macadamia flower caterpillar, one of the major pests of macadamias. The caterpillars (larvae) festoon the raceme with webbing, insect excrement and remains of damaged buds. The insect pest has the potential to completely ruin all florets on a flower raceme. To avoid significant damage, the flowers need to be monitored for caterpillar eggs and larvae, from when flowering begins. Once the stage is reached where the pest is causing sufficient economic damage, a spray program is commenced. Note that other possible causes of dead flowers include drought, frost damage, raceme blight disease, flower thrips damage, redshouldered leaf beetle damage and felted coccid damage. If you are unsure of the cause, seek advice from pest consultants. Experienced pest and crop consultants are available in most macadamia production areas.
