The adult is a day-flying, clear winged, metallic-blue moth.
Males and females have two or more pale yellow thin scale fringes over their abdomen, giving them a wasp-like look.
On the top of their heads, right behind their eyes, males and females have pale yellow scales and black scales between their antennae.
With short legs and a yellowish-brown to dark brown head, the larva is white or cream-colored and hairless.
Host plants:
The lesser peachtree borer is a pest that attacks all stone fruits, particularly peaches and cherries.
Territory:
Lesser Peachtree Borer is found in most of eastern North America’s fruit-growing states and provinces.
Damage caused by Lesser Peachtree Borer:
Damaged scaffold limbs of all stone fruits, primarily peach and cherry, are attacked. Larva feeds on the inner layer of the bark, destroying the cambium and girdling the conductive tissue, resulting in severe yield loss in older orchards. Larvae typically enter through wounds caused by Cytospora canker, winter damage, broken limbs from high loads, pruning, or mechanical wounds. Their infestations usually occur on the upper trunk or lower limbs, resulting in a discharge of frass-containing gum.
Life history and Habits:
Lesser Peachtree Borers overwinter as fully developed larvae in tree bark galleries. Larvae eat briefly in the spring, pupate, and emerge as adults 3 to 4 weeks later. Lesser Peachtree Borer, unlike other moths, is active throughout the day, generally between mid-mornings and mid-afternoon. Adults begin mating immediately after emergence, and females lay huge eggs in bark fissures. After around 9 days, the larvae hatch, burrow into the bark and eat. In August and September, the second generation of adults frequently emerges. There are normally two generations every year.
