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SUGARCANE BORER Diatraea
saccharalis (Fab.): Lepidoptera, Crambidae |
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Eggs are deposited in clusters that
may contain from two to 50 eggs, The
eggs are laid both on the upper and lower surface of leaves.. Incubation is about 4-6 days, and fecundity in lab studies can reach 700
eggs when borers are reared on corn and sugarcane, but only about 425 when
fed Johnsongrass (Bessin and Reagan 1990). Larvae may feed through the leaf
tissue or within the midrib. After
the first or second molt they burrow into the stalk. There are both summer and winter larval forms, being whitish with a brown
head. The summer form also bears
large brown spots on each body segment while the winter form does not have
these spots. In winter larvae are
rarely found in corn with sugarcane and stalks of large grasses being more
attractive. Instar number varies considerably,
with reports of three to 10 instars.
Holloway et al. (1928) reported instar durations of 3-6, 4-8, 6 -9, 4
-6, and 4 to 9 days for instars one through five, respectively, for larvae
fed sugarcane. Larval development is 25 to 30 days during warm weather. Studies at the University of Florida show
that larvae of sugarcane borer are easily confused with southern cornstalk
borer, and definitive separation involves microscopic examination of the
mouthparts. Pupation is in a tunnel formed by the
larva, which cleans and expands the
tunnel prior to pupation, leaving only a thin layer of plant tissue for the
moth to break through at emergence.
Pupal size measures 16 to 20 mm in length and bears prominent pointed
tubercles on the distal segments. Duration of the stage is
8-9 days in warm weather. Studies
at the University of Florida show that adults are yellowish brown moth
with a wing span of 18 to 28 mm in males and 27 to 39 mm in females. The forewing also bears numerous narrow
brown lines extending the length of the wing. The hind wing of females is white, but in males it is
darker. The adults are nocturnal,
remaining hidden during the daylight hours.
Oviposition commences at dusk and continues throughout the evening. Females may deposit eggs for four days,
but usually less. Duration of the
adult stage is only three to eight days. Natural Enemies Studies at the University of Florida
show that the importance of natural enemies is known mostly in sugarcane, the
borer's major host. Ants, particularly imported red fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, are reported
to be important predators of sugarcane borer in the field, and capable of
reducing damage from borers by over 90% (Bessin and Reagan 1993). Although much of the attention has been
focused on red imported fire ant, other ant species such as Pheidole dentata Mayr and Pheidole floridana Emery (all
Hymenoptera: Formicidae) also are important (Adams et al. 1981). Effective parasitoids are not
established in the United States. Egg
parasitoids, Trichogramma sp.
(Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), may be the most important
naturally-occurring parasitic insects.
Although they are not very abundant early in the season, by autumn
they may inflict almost complete destruction of borer eggs. The most important imported parasitoid is Agathis stigmaterus (Cresson)
(Hymenoptera: Braconidae), which was reported by King et al. (1981) to
affect, on average, less than 12% of borers. Lixophaga
diatraeae (Diptera: Tachinidae) has the potential to cause high
levels of parasitism, but does not persist well. A wasp introduced from India, Cotesia
flavipes Cameron (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), is an important
late-season parasitoid late in the summer within Florida. Other parasitoids include Orgilus elasmopalpi Muesebeck, Apanteles diatraeae Musebeck, Apanteles impunctatus Musebeck (all
Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Euplectrus
plathypenae Howard, and Syntomosphyrum
clisiocampe (Ashmead) (both Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). Fuller and Reagan (1988) studying the
role of natural enemies in sugarcane and sorghum found that predator
densities were higher in sugarcane due to the greater abundance of red
imported fire ant. However, Orius spp. pirate bugs (Hemiptera:
Anthocoridae), lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), tiger beetles
(Coleoptera: Cicindelinae), spiders, and foliage-dwelling ground beetle
larvae (Coleoptera: Carabidae) were more abundant in sorghum fields - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - REFERENCES Adams, C. T., T. E. Summers, C. S. Lofgren, D. A.
Focks & J. C. Prewitt. 1981. Interrelationship of ants and the
sugarcane borer in Florida sugarcane fields.
Environmental Entomology 10: 415-418. Bessin, R. T. & T. E. Reagan. 1990.
Fecundity of sugarcane borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), as affected by
larval development on gramineous host plants. Environmental Entomology 19: 635-639. Bessin, R. T. & T. E. Reagan. 1993.
Cultivar resistance and arthropod predation of sugarcane borer
(Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) affects incidence of deadhearts in Louisiana sugarcane. Journal of Economic Entomology 86:
929-932. Bessin, R. T., E. B. Moser & T. E. Reagan. 1990. Integration of control tactics for
management of the sugarcane borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in Louisiana
sugarcane. Journal of Economic
Entomology 83: 1563-1569. Capinera, J. L. 2001. Handbook of Vegetable Pests. Academic Press, San Diego. 729 pp. Clausen, C. P. 1978. Introduced Parasites and Predators of
Arthropod Pests and Weeds: A World Review. U. S.Ddept. of Agriculture,
Agricultural Handbook 480. 545 pp. Dekle, G. W. 1976. Illustrated key to caterpillars on
corn. Florida Department of
Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry Bulletin 4. 16 pp. Dyar, H. G. & C. Heinrich. 1927. The American
moths of the genus Diatraea and
allies. Proceedings of the U. S.
Natl. Museum 71: 1-48. Flynn, J. L. & T. E. Reagan. 1984.
Corn phenology in relation to natural and simulated infestations of
the sugarcane borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Journal of Economic Entomology 77: 1524-1529. Flynn, J. L, T. E. Reagan & E. Q. Ogunwolu. 1984. Establishment and damage of the sugarcane
borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in corn as influenced by plant
development. Journal of Economic
Entomology 77: 691-697. Fuchs, T. W. & J. A. Harding. 1979.
Seasonal abundance of the sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis, on sugarcane and other hosts in the
lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
Southwestern Entomologist 4:
125-131. Fuller, B. W. & T. E. Reagan. 1988.
Comparative predation of the sugarcane borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)
on sweet sorghum and sugarcane.
Journal of Economic Entomology 81:
713-717. Hall, D. G.
1986. Sampling for the
sugarcane borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in sugarcane. Journal of Economic Entomology 79: 813-816. Hall, D. G., G. S. Nuessly & R. A. Gilbert. 2007.
Sugarcane borer in Florida. E. D. I. S. (28 November 2016) Holloway, T. E., W. E. Haley, U. C. Loftin & C.
Heinrich. 1928. The sugar-cane borer in the United States.
U. S. Dept. of Agriculture Technical Bulletin 41: 77 pp. Huang, F., R. Parker, R. Leonard, Y. Yong & J. Liu. 2008.
Frequency of resistance alleles to Bacillus thuringiensis-corn
in Texas populations of the sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis
(F.) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). Crop
Protection 28: 174-180. Kelsheimer, E. G., N. C. Hayslip & J. W.
Wilson. 1950. Control of budworms, earworms and other
insects attacking sweet corn and green corn in Florida. Florida Agriculture Experiment Station
Bulletin 466: 38 pp Long, W. H. & S. D. Hensley. 1972.
Insect pests of sugar cane.
Annual Review of Entomology 17:
149-176. Maredia, K. M. & J. A. Mihm. 1991.
Sugarcane borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) damage to maize at four plant
growth stages. Environmental
Entomology 20: 1019-1023 Peterson, A.
1948. Larvae of Insects, an
Introduction to Nearctic Species. Part I Lepidoptera and Plant Infesting
Hymenoptera. Edwards Brothers, Inc.,
Ann Arbor, Michigan. 315 pp. Rodriguez-del-Bosque, L. A., J. W. Smith
Jr. & H. W. Browning.
1990. Feeding and pupation
sites of Diatraea lineolata, D. saccharalis, and Eoreuma loftini (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)
in relation to corn phenology.
Journal of Economic Entomology 83:
850-855. Roe, R. M.
1981. A bibliography of the
sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis
(Fabricius), 1887-1980. U. S. Dept.
of Agriculture, A. R.S. A. R. M.-S. 20. 101 pp. Roe, R. M., A. M. Hammond Jr. & T. C.
Sparks. 1982. Growth of larval Diatraea saccharalis (Lepidoptera:
Pyralidae) on an artificial diet and synchronization of the last larval
stadium. Annals of the Entomological
Society of America 75: 421-429. Stehr, F.W. (ed.). 1987. Immature Insects. Vol. 1. Kendall/Hunt Publ. Co., Dubuque,
Iowa. 754 pp. |
