How I Manage Pests That Eat My Avocados

One of the most frustrating things about growing avocados is walking outside and seeing a beautiful fruit with a chunk missing from it. Whether it's squirrels, rats, birds, or other critters, you're not the only one dealing with this problem. Every year I lose one to many avocados, and after a while you realize you're competing with wildlife for your own harvest.

The first thing I recommend is harvesting your avocados as soon as they're mature. Don't leave them hanging on the tree any longer than necessary. The longer they stay on the tree, the more time pests have to find them.

I also make sure to pick up any fallen fruit from the ground. Rotting avocados attract even more animals and insects, so keeping the area clean can really help.

If rats are your biggest problem, don't wait until they've eaten half your crop. I like to put out plenty of mouse and rat traps around the property before they become a major issue. If squirrels are constantly raiding your trees, live traps can also help reduce the number of visitors where they're legal to use.

Now... after you've lost a few Reed, GEM, or Jan Boyce avocados that you've waited months for, you might find yourself joking that it's time to dust off the pellet rifle. Cough, cough. Anyone who's grown avocados long enough knows exactly what I mean. Losing fruit you've been waiting all year to harvest is enough to test anyone's patience.

At the end of the day, you'll probably never eliminate pests completely. Your avocado tree is part of nature, and you're always going to share a few with the local wildlife. The goal is to stay ahead of the problem by trapping early, keeping your yard clean, harvesting fruit on time, and checking your trees often. Doing those simple things has helped me save a lot more avocados each season.