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 InsectsSP290-C

Dogwood Borer

Infestation, Damage and Control Frank A. Hale, Professor 

originally developed by Harry E. Williams, Professor Emeritus

 Entomology and Plant Pathology

Theoweringdogwood(Cornus

  forida)isoneofthemostpopular

ornamentalplantsinTennesseelandscapes.

 Nativetreesalsoourishintheforest

understory.

Thedogwoodtreeisdamagedbythe

feedingactivityofthedogwoodborerlarva

underthebarkofthetrunkandlimbs.In

asingleyear,oneborercancompletely

girdleandkillatree4inchesindiameter,

 butdeathismoreoftenbroughtaboutby

thecombinedactivityofseverallarvaeor

 bysuccessiveinfestationswithconcurrent

mechanicalinjuryorpathological

 problems.Cultivatedtreesgrowinginfullsunareusuallymoreheavilyinfestedthanthosegrowing

inshadedorforestedareas.

Thedogwoodborer,Synanthedon scitula (Harris),

isfoundthroughouttheareawhereowering

dogwoodsaregrown.Inadditiontodogwoods,the

 boreralsoinfestsoak,chestnut,elm,hickory,willow,

 pecanandapple.Theborerinfestsawiderangeof

hostplants,anddogwoodtreesmaybeinfestedfrom

avarietyofnearbyhostplants.Anative

 pest,theborerisknownbyseveralother

commonnames:pecansesia,nine-bark

 borer,woodygallborer,oakgallborerand

others. AdultmothsemergefromlateAprilto

mid-October,withtherstpeakofadult

activityoccurringinmid-Mayandthe

secondpeakinearlyAugust.Eggsarelaid

singlyonthebark.Whenrstlaid,theegg

ispaleyellowandturnsonlyslightlydarker

 beforethelarvahatches.Thefemalemay

laymorethan100eggsthatusuallyrequire

eighttoninedaystohatch.

Newlyhatchedlarvaeenterthrough

wounds,callousedareas,cankersorsomebrokenbark

site.Larvalfeedingisconnedtotheinnercambiumand

 bark.Thedogwoodborerhibernatesinthelarvalstage

withinitstunnel.Pupationtakesplacethefollowing

season.Althoughthereisonlyonegenerationperyear,

 borersmaybefoundinvariousstagesofdevelopment

throughoutmostoftheyearbecauseeggsarelaidovera

 periodofseveralmonths.

Extension

 Dogwood borer damage John A. Weidhass, Virginia

 Polytechnic Institute and State

University, www.forestryimages.org 

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Precautionary Statement Toprotectpeopleandtheenvironment,pesticidesshouldbeusedsafely.Thisiseveryone’sresponsibility,especiallytheuser.

Readandfollowlabeldirectionscarefullybeforeyoubuy,mix,apply,storeordisposeofapesticide.Accordingtolawsregulating

 pesticides,theymustbeusedonlyasdirectedbythelabel.Personswhodonotobeythelawwillbesubjecttopenalties.

Disclaimer StatementThispublicationcontainspesticiderecommendationsthataresubjecttochangeatanytime.Therecommendationsinthispublicationareprovidedonlyasaguide.Itisalwaysthepesticideapplicator’sresponsibility,bylaw,toreadandfollowallcurrentlabeldirections

forthespecicpesticidebeingused.Thelabelalwaystakesprecedenceovertherecommendationsfoundinthispublication.

Useoftradeorbrandnamesinthispublicationisforclarityandinformation;itdoesnotimplyapprovaloftheproducttothe

exclusionofothersthatmaybeofsimilar,suitablecomposition,nordoesitguaranteeorwarrantthestandardoftheproduct.The

author(s),theUniversityofTennesseeInstituteofAgricultureandUniversityofTennesseeExtensionassumenoliabilityresulting

fromtheuseoftheserecommendations.

SP290C 06-0248Programs in agriculture and natural resources, 4-H youth development, family and consumer sciences, and resource development.

University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture and county governments cooperating.UT Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.

Themothpassesthroughfourseparate

stagesinitslifecycle(egg,larva,pupaand

adult).Thebasiccoloroftheadultmoth

isdarkblue,appearingalmostblack,with

occasionalyellowmarkingsonthebody.

Thedarkthoraxismarkedwithyellowlines

andayellowpatchbelow.Theabdomenis

darkwithyellowonthesecondandfourth

segments.Thewingsaremostlyclearwithdarkscalesalongtheveinsandmargins

andaspanofaboutthree-fthsofaninch.

Dogwoodborermothsareinthesame

familyofclearwingmoths( sesiidae)asthe

 peachtreeborer,rhododendronborerand

thelilacborer.

Thelarvaeareoff-whitetocream-

coloredwithareddish-brownhead.The

frontthoracicsegmenthastworeddish-brownspots

ontheuppersurface.Thenewlyhatchedlarvaeare1/16ofaninch,andthematurelarvaeare3/5ofan

inchlong.Thepupaearelightbrownand2/5ofan

inchlong.

Control Measures  Dogwoodtreesmaybeinfestedinanurseryas1-,

2-or3-year-oldseedlingsorasoldertreesgrowingin

thelandscape.Treesshouldbeinspectedfordepressed,

wetorlooseareasofbarkindicatingpossibleborer

infestationpriortopurchase.

Physicaldamagetothebarkofthetrunkorlimbsfromlawnmowers,stringtrimmers,dogwoodcanker,

 pruningcutsorfreezingthebarkaidborerentry.Trees

thathavebeenpreviouslyinfestedhave

woundsthatprovideeasyentryforborers.

Avoidphysicaldamagetothetrees.

Spraythetrunkandlowerlimbscaffold

withtherecommendedinsecticideinlate

Aprilandmid-Julyforfull-seasoncontrol.

Applytheinsecticidefromthelower

limbscaffold,downthetrunktothesoil

line.Landscapetreescanbetreatedwith bifenthrin(Onyx)orpermethrin(Astro,

PermethrinPro).Usepermethrin(Perm-

Up3.2EC)orchlorpyrifos(Dursban)for

dogwoodborercontrolincommercial

nurseries.

Ifaprotectiveinsecticidesprayisnot

used,aparasiticnematode,Steinernema

carpocapsae(Guardian),canbeappliedto

theinfestedtreetruckasacoarse,low-pressurespray

tothepointofrunoff.MakeapplicationsduringMaythroughSeptemberwhensignsoflarvaeareapparent.

ReferencesPless,C.DandW.W.Stanley.1967.Lifehistoryand

habitsofthedogwoodborer,Thamnosphecia scitula

(Lepidoptera:Aegeriidae)inTennessee.Journalofthe

TennesseeAcademyofScience.42(4):117-123.

Rogers,L.E.andJ.F.Grant.1990.Occurrenceof

dogwoodborerandotherselectedspeciesofclearwing

 borerinEasternandMiddleTennessee.TennesseeFarmandHomeScience.Issue154.TheUniversityof

TennesseeAgriculturalExperimentStation,Knoxville.

 Adult male

 Adult  f  emale

 James Solomon, USDA Forest 

Service, www.forestryimages.org