Fruit IPM Fact Sheet
Van Buren MSUE Home
Fruit Pages

Fruit Tree Borers in Cherries

Mark Longstroth

Trunk borers such as American plum borer, peachtree and lesser peachtree borers were generally regarded as minor or occasional pests of cherries.   The use of mechanical shakers for cherry harvest has changed the status of these insect pests.

To reduce labor costs, mechanical equipment has been developed to harvest cherries. The tree trunk is shaken by a machine clamped firmly to the trunk.  The cherries are snapped from their stems and fall onto fabric catching frames.   Mechanical shakers can bruise the trunk, as well as disturb the root area near the surface of the soil.

Bruised and injured tissue on branches and trunks is particularly attractive to  female American plum borers and lesser peachtree borers for ovipostion. Though the relationship of increased peachtree borer damage and mechanical harvesting is not as clear, it appears probable that movement of the tree trunk during shaking provides easy access to the base of the tree just below the ground level for peachtree borer larvae on hatching, particularly larvae emerging from eggs laid on the soil near the tree.

Since the advent of mechanical shakers, the status of borers attacking cherry trees has changed dramatically from minor to major pests. The lesser peachtree borer requires injured tissue to become established – it will not attack healthy tissue. Upon hatching, the larvae feed on the tender growing bark at the edges of injured areas. They may continue to feed until the limb is girdled and killed. Injured areas are also susceptible to attack by valsa canker.

In the past, the peachtree borer rarely attacked tart cherries. Now, infestations of this pest are common. The injury is similar to that on peach trees – larval activity is restricted to the trunk area from a few inches above to 6 inches below the soil surface. Larval feeding may kill young trees by completely girdling the trunks. More mature trees may not be killed but are often severely injured and made more susceptible to other insects, diseases and environmental conditions. An organophosphate called chlorpyrifos is, to date, the only insecticide that will control in a single application both the lesser peachtree borer and the peachtree borer, as well as another major pest of cherries, the American plum borer. For seasonal control, a dilute application of chlorpyrifos should be applied with a hydraulic gun at the white-bud or petal-fall stage. Thorough coverage of the scaffold limbs and trunk, including the base of the tree, is essential.

    Home     Search   Feedback
Created: April 20, 1999
Last modified: October 19, 2009