My most mature Butia fruit fell off :

[WSimpson]

I guess I have to harvest the  fruit when they change color and before they fall off . They fell off fast . Is that correct to harvest one stalk at a time as they mature ? I thought that the fruit would hang on longer before you had harvested them . What are people's experiences with their Butia fruit ? Some varmint ate them fast too . There are a lot of chipmunks around or maybe a squirrel ?

Thanks 

 

[zero]

Squirrels for sure love them and many birds here as well!  I'm sure it's different from zone to zone and possibly palm to palm.   With mine the fruits started falling off just a couple of days after they started changing color!  I didn't harvest all of the fruits at once but just when they were ripe enough over a couple of days.  Give the fruit a slight twist (not forced) and if the fruit comes off it's ready.  If not give it another day or two.  I've already harvested 2 stalks, currently harvesting one and another two are in the process of ripening.

[Scott W]

Yep, I have to cover mine with steel mesh to prevent the tree rats from harvesting them for me.  Critical especially when producing hybrids.

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

What the others have said is true for N.C. (at least here on the coast). The stalk ripens from green fruit to colored quickly and fruit drops quickly after they color change.   Don't know about chipmunks but squirrels will eat the seeds, even before they color change or get ripe, right off the tree.  After a squirrel discovers them they will never forget and be back to destroy all seeds year after year. The other squirrels will learn from each other so eliminating one will not help. Squirrels also have a homing instinct so trapping and taking then off, to be released, will not work. I bet chipmunks are the same. The metal screening, shown above, will be needed.