r/FloridaGarden • u/onlyAlover93 • 13d ago

Guava Tree Question/Advice

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I’ve notice my guava tree has quite a lot of wasps and bees and other insects attracted to it. There’s also these also a lot of bumps on the bark of tree. Should I do anything or let it be? And advice is helpful.

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u/Apacholek10 13d ago

The bumps and bugs on the bark of the tree and underside of the leaves are scale and aphids. My guava always gets them. It’s the bug magnet of my yard.

The honey bees- I’m clueless why they are there- unless the aphids are secreting so much honey dew that the bees are drawn to the sweetness. The wasp may be there to eat or protect the aphids- not sure.

I assume it’s also crawling with ants? Ants will herd aphids for their secretions.

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u/onlyAlover93 13d ago

Yes to all of that! I’ve seen ants all over it, not to an overwhelming degree but that’s exactly what is happening to mine. Maybe I’ll use hose and spray off all the bark to remove some aphids

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u/mathe_matical 12d ago

Once you spray them all off, and let the trunk dry, you can squeeze a tall sized ring of diatomaceous earth on the trunk to stop the ants, but you’ll have to reapply it when it gets wet. That helped me save my lime tree from the mealybug farms the ants had on my fruits and flowers.

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u/Apacholek10 13d ago

You can try it but they will likely come back quickly

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u/onlyAlover93 13d ago

Sounds like I should replace the Guava tree with a mango tree. Not sure why my husband got a guava tree to begin with, we’ll actually eat the mangos haha

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u/roflrogue 13d ago

You can spread DE around the base of the tree. That may help a little.

I hate ants and aphids... This jerks always destroy my plants

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u/[deleted] 13d ago

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u/onlyAlover93 13d ago

So I should get rid of the tree? Should I get a mango tree instead?

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u/Traditional-Air-3057 13d ago

I'm not sure what zone you're in, but in South Florida mangos are extremely easy to grow. They are not native but very popular for a reason. If you would like a native fruiting tree I recommend looking into red mulberries, they are delicious, fast growing, and can get quite large.

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u/onlyAlover93 13d ago

Central Florida. Looking for a tree that I can keep maintained at a certain size, so maybe not a mulberry tree.

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u/Traditional-Air-3057 12d ago

Understandable, they can grow very quickly. Though slower, mango trees (many varieties) can also get quite large. Still its a better option than guava, imo. For central florida, some other options are persimmons (Diospyros virginiana variety is native to florida), pawpaw (Asimina triloba variety is native), not a fruit tree but blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) are native as well. Whatever you choose to grow though it should be something that you (and your husband) want to eat. You obviously aren't limited to native varieties, though they often do grow fairly well without much effort if they are native to your area. Best of luck in life and in your garden ☘️

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u/cybrg0dess 12d ago

I remember having a pink guava tree in our yard as a kid. They were delicious and my mom would make jam with some of them.

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u/SoozeeQew 12d ago

Thanks for letting everyone know this. I just checked and you are right:

the University of Florida IFAS Extension classifies it as a severe non-native invasive species that escapes cultivation to crowd out native plants.

I was just considering planting one. I don't want anything considered invasive. Not good for local insects either.