I’ve read in numerous places that pawpaws are pollinated by a moth, and if not moths then by humans. I was at a butterfly garden yesterday. It’s enclosed. Nothing but butterflies. The pawpaw trees in the enclosure all had fruit on them. Any thoughts?
Pawpaw flowers are visited by many insect species. They’re not pollinated by any specific insect. Here the most common pollinators I see (that is, actually seen in flowers with pollen on their bodies) are ladybugs and houseflies.
I’ve not heard mention of moths other than pests.
There are several possible explanations for the fruits on the trees including enterprising employees hand pollinating, the aforementioned flies, or self-pollination, which can occur on a usually small scale.
Thank you
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I noticed lots of ants in my paw paw flowers this year. Not sure if they did any good or not, but I do have modest fruit set after years of nothing.
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Those could have been zebra swallowtails.Pawpaws are a host plant for their caterpillars.
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I have 4 pawpaw varieties blooming well this spring. I saw small flying insects around pawpaw flowers. I thought great!! Let’s those insects cross pollinate pawpaws so I did not have to.
Big mistake!!! Of a couple of hundreds of flowers, one fruit set. I mean ONE fruit, not one fluster of fruit.
Back to hand pollinating pawpaws next year.
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Seems like ants wouldn’t be able to pollinate. Seems like they couldn’t move from plant to plant very well.
Arg sorry to hear that. I had the opposite experience- didn’t hand pollinate this year and the bugs did a great job.
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Yeah they like the flowers but I don’t believe play a role as effective pollinators.
Send your bugs my way, please.
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