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How to Manage Pests

UC Pest Management Guidelines

| More pests | More crops | About guidelines |

Adult male peachtree borer, Synanthedon exitiosa.

Cherry

Peachtree Borer

Scientific Name: Synanthedon exitiosa

(Reviewed 4/06, updated 9/06)

In this Guideline:

DESCRIPTION OF THE PEST

Peachtree borer eggs are laid during the summer on the bark of trees. Larvae overwinter in the tree trunk. They feed in the crown area and burrow up into the tree. At maturity, a larva is about 1 inch long, and has a light-colored body and a dark head. In late spring, larvae pupate near the entrance of their burrows or in the soil. Adults emerge from May through September; they are steel blue to black clearwinged moths with a 1-inch wing span.

DAMAGE

Peachtree borers can girdle and kill young trees. Older trees can withstand the damage unless there are many larvae or the tree is attacked several years in a row.

MANAGEMENT

Look for the presence of frass and gum at the bases of trees when monitoring orchards in the spring. Also check trees in the fall for signs of peachtree borer activity. At this time, you can kill larvae by carefully using a knife or wire to probe the trunk. Mark any that you find, and return to treat them the following spring. Treat affected trees with insecticide by spraying the trunk from the scaffold to the soil line. Apply the insecticide with a hand-held sprayer to the tree trunk from the juncture of the main scaffold limbs to the soil line. Cover the trunk thoroughly, using enough spray material so it will run off to form a small puddle at the base of the tree. Use from 0.5 to 1.5 gallons per tree, depending upon the size of the trunk. Remove suckers and pull soil away from the base of the tree before treating. Two applications are recommended to protect during the prolonged period when adults are active, one in mid-May when adults are first detected and one in the middle of July. Be careful to observe preharvest intervals and use low-pressure sprays to avoid contaminating fruit.

You can use pheromone traps to monitor adult emergence. They are useful for determining the presence of peachtree borers. (The pheromone lure may be listed as peachtree borer or greater peachtree borer.) Place traps in trees no later than late April and maintain them through September, changing lures at the recommended interval (usually one month) and the trap bottoms when they become dirty and lose stickiness. If they catch large numbers of male peachtree borers (approximately 10 or more per week), return later and examine the trees carefully for signs of feeding activity. Be sure to properly identify the moths that are trapped; other clearwing moths may be attracted by the peachtree borer pheromone.

Keep tree bases free of vegetation to help reduce problems with peachtree borer, especially in the Central Valley. Heat and dryness reduce the survival of eggs and larvae.

Common name Amount to Use** P.H.I.+
(trade name) (conc.) (dilute) (days)
The following materials are listed in order of usefulness in an IPM program, taking into account efficacy and impact on natural enemies and honey bees. When choosing a pesticide, also consider information relating to environmental impact.
 
PREHARVEST
A. CHLORPYRIFOS*
  (Lorsban) 4EC — 1.5–3 qt 21
  MODE OF ACTION: An organophosphate (Group 1B)1 insecticide.
  COMMENTS: Use chlorpyrifos for the first application. In Central Valley orchards where harvest is to begin in mid- to late May, move treatment up to allow 21 days for preharvest interval. Apply as a trunk spray, avoiding contact with foliage or premature leaf drop may occur. Uniformly cover trunk and the wood of the lower branches. Do not make more than 3 applications/season or allow meat or dairy animals to graze in treated orchards. Avoid drift and runoff into surface water or choose alternative materials. Chlorpyrifos has been found in surface waters at levels that violate federal and state water quality standards.
 
POSTHARVEST
A. CHLORPYRIFOS*
  (Lorsban) 4EC — 1.5–3 qt  
  MODE OF ACTION: An organophosphate (Group 1B)1 insecticide.
  COMMENTS: Avoid contact with foliage or premature leaf drop may occur. Do not make more than 3 applications/season or allow meat or dairy animals to graze in treated orchards. Avoid drift and runoff into surface water or choose alternative materials. Chlorpyrifos has been found in surface waters at levels that violate federal and state water quality standards.
 
 
**  For concentrate applications, use the amount given in 80–100 gal water/acre, or lower if the label allows; for dilute applications, amount is per 100 gal water to be applied in 300–400 gal water/acre, according to label.
+ Preharvest interval. Do not apply within this many days of harvest.
* Permit required from county agricultural commissioner for purchase or use.
1 Modes of action are important in preventing the development of resistance to pesticides. Rotate chemicals with a different mode-of-action Group number, and do not use products with the same mode-of-action Group number more than twice per season. For example, the organophosphates have a Group number of 1B; chemicals with a 1B Group number should be alternated with chemicals that have a Group number other than 1B. Mode of action is assigned by IRAC (Insecticide Resistance Action Committee). For additional information, see their Web site at http://www.irac-online.org/.

[Precautions]

PUBLICATION

[UC Peer Reviewed]

UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines: Cherry
UC ANR Publication 3440
Insects and Mites
R. A. Van Steenwyk, Insect Biology, UC Berkeley
K. M. Daane, Kearney Agricultural Center, Parlier
J. A. Grant, UC Cooperative Extension, San Joaquin County

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Statewide IPM Program, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California
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