Laboratory Rearing of the Lesser Peach Tree Borer, Synanthedon pictipes1, on Artificial Diets2, 3

Abstract

The lesser peach tree borer, Synanthedon pictipes (Grote and Robinson), is a pest in low-vigor cherry trees in northern Wisconsin. Females oviposit especially in tree wounds, which are often produced by mechanical shakers or wind and storm damage. While investigating chemical and physical factors which influence female preference of wounds as ovipositional sites, and studying factors involved in early-instar feeding responses, a dependable daily emergence of adults was required. For this reason we began rearing the insect on artificial diets, and this note describes our laboratory culture techniques.