American plum borer

Insect

American plum borer

Euzophera semifuneralis (Walker)

Lepidoptera: Pyralidae

Distribution: Most fruit-growing states and provinces in eastern North America.

Photos

Adult is a light grayish-brown moth with reddish-brown forewings marked by wavy, black and brown vertical bands about two-thirds from the base. NY State Ag Experiment Station
A

The adult is a light grayish brown moth with reddish brown forewings marked by wavy black and brown vertical bands about two-thirds the distance from the base (A). The larva ranges in color from grayish green to grayish purple, with a yellow to brown head capsule, cervical shield and anal plate (B).

Crops Affected: apples, cherries, plums

Damage

Attacks plum, cherry, and apple. Larvae feed in the cambium layer of trunk or scaffolds (C), which they can access only through openings created by mechanical damage, disease, sunscald, winter injury, etc. Because they feed horizontally, girdling can eventually occur; drought conditions intensify feeding effects.

Management

Species presence and flight activity can be monitored with pheromone traps. Minimize trunk damage caused by mechanical harvesting and cankers; coarse insecticide sprays may be applied to trunk shortly after petal fall and again, if necessary, in midsummer.