3 things to know about guava moth

■ THE guava moth is tiny, just 15mm across, with black and white speckled wings.

■ IT lays eggs on developing fruit, including feijoas, citrus, nashi pears, macadamias, loquats, guavas, plums, and peaches. Its larvae burrow inside the fruit, damaging the flesh and causing the fruit to drop early.

■ IT'S believed the moths were blown to Northland on the wind from Australia in 1999. They've since spread south to Auckland and the Coromandel. Scientists expect they'll reach the southern-most feijoagrowing regions over time.