Crops Affected: Corn, cotton, grape, tobacco, tomato, sugar beet, soybean. Can also feed on a variety of field crops, vegetables, and ornamentals.

States Affected: Hawaii (risk of being imported into warm states)

Life Cycle: Eggs are laid on lower surfaces of leaves, and are covered with pale orange-brown or pink scales that give clusters a fuzzy appearance. Newly hatched larvae feel on leaves in clusters. They use silken threads to migrate to other leaves or plants. Older larvae are solitary feeders. Pupation occurs in the soil in earthen cases, in the top two inches of soil. Populations may be active year round.

Damage: Larvae may cause leaf scarring, skeletonization, or complete stripping of the plant. Although primarily leaf eaters, they may act as cutworms with seedlings, and also may feed on young stalks and buds or mine into young shoots, causing the shoot to die off above the entry point. In compact foliage such as cabbage, larvae may tunnel into the core. Rarely, the larvae will also damage fruits.

Season to Trap: Year round

How To Use: Hang trap with lure inside at shoulder height near at risk or affected crops. Replace lures every 30 days through the season, and replace traps when 70% saturated. Adult males are attracted to the pheromones in the lure and the color of the traps in this kit. Once they land on the sticky trap, they become ensnared, never to mate or lay eggs again.

Report to local agricultural department if found, this is a quarantine species.