What are the control methods for the cherry leopard moth borer?
The leopard moth borer, also known as the six-spotted wood leopard moth, belongs to the order Lepidoptera, family Zeuzeridae.
Distribution and damage: it is found in Henan, Hebei, Shaanxi, Shandong and other provinces in China. The larvae bore into and feed on the twigs and shoots of many kinds of fruit trees and ornamental trees and shrubs.
Damage symptoms: between the xylem and phloem at the base of the affected branch there is a ring-shaped feeding hole, along with a tunnel running from bottom to top. There are several frass-expelling holes on the branch, with large amounts of long oval frass pushed out. The upper part of the affected branch turns yellow and withers, and breaks easily in the wind.
Morphological characteristics
Adult: female moth body length 20-38 mm, male moth 17-30 mm. The back of the prothorax bears 6 blue-black
spots; the forewings are scattered with many blue spots of varying sizes.
Egg: oval, about 0.8 mm long, yellowish white when newly laid.
Larva: body length 20-35 mm, body red. The front edge of the pronotal plate bears a pair of cotyledon-shaped black spots.
Pupa: reddish brown. Near eclosion, two black round spots appear on the side of each abdominal segment, and the tail end has 10 spines.
Life history and habits: one generation occurs per year, and it overwinters as a mature larva in the affected branches. It pupates between April and May of the following year, and the adult eclosion period is from late May to mid-July. Each female can lay up to more than a thousand eggs. After hatching, the larvae bore in from the main vein of the leaf or the base of the bud. From top to bottom they gnaw a frass-expelling hole at intervals. One larva can damage 2-3 twigs or shoots. The larvae feed until mid to late October, then overwinter inside the branches.
Control methods:
Prune out infested branches: in combination with summer pruning, promptly prune out infested branches based on the symptoms of withered leaves at the tips of new shoots or on the frass on the branches and on the ground, and burn them in a centralized manner. This measure should be started before the larvae move to new shoots, and pruning should be repeated until winter pruning.
Light trapping: carry out light trapping during the adult occurrence period.
Chemical control: during the adult egg-laying and hatching period, spray 90% crystalline trichlorfon at 1000 times dilution or 80% dichlorvos emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution.