Seasonal Distribution of the Lesser Peach Tree Borer in Southern Indiana13

Abstract

The seasonal distribution of Synanthedon pictipes (Grote & Robinson) was determined for 1965–67 by studying adult emergence from caged, borer-infested peach wood, and by recording the number of males captured in field traps baited with caged virgin females. The pattern of springtime emergence from wood was comparable to the pattern of spring capture of males in the field. However, by the last week in July, 95% of the moths had emerged from the wood, but large numbers of males continued to come to the traps. This late catch, together with evidence that populations in the field peaked in late August or early September, clearly showed that 2 generations of moths emerge annually in southern Indiana. Higher than normal temperatures in the winter and spring accelerated adult eclosion; lower than normal temperatures and precipitation during the spring and early summer months may have lowered the summer populations.