Nature and Distribution of European Corn Borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Larval Feeding Damage to Cotton in North Carolina

Abstract

European corn borer (ECB), Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner), larval feeding behavior and damage on cotton were investigated from 1981 through 1983 in North Carolina. After eclosion, ECB larvae fed on the leaf undersurface for ca. 1 day before boring into plant structures such as leaf axils, stems, and bolls. Recent ECB feeding injury was characterized by the presence of a sawdustlike frass. During feeding, ECB larvae moved within a plant and between adjacent cotton plants. At the end of the growing season (late August through early October), the major portion of ECB feeding injury was on the large bolls, located in the middle third of the cotton plant.