Although the lesser cornstalk borer is found from Maine to southern California, the bulk of its damage occurs in the southern states, particularly Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. It is also found in Mexico, Central America and South America. The lesser cornstalk borer prefers corn, but it also feeds on beans, cowpeas, crabgrass, Johnson grass, peas, peanuts, sorghum, soybeans, and wheat. Damage - The larva of this small moth has been sporadically injurious to the seedlings of many plant species, and seems to be on the increase in the South. Injury is caused when the larva bores into the stalk of the host plant, thereby disrupting the growing point.
Damage can be slight, or it can kill the plant.
Damage is most prevalent during drought conditions in crops grown on sandy soil. Life History - These borers hibernate as larvae or pupae. In North Carolina, they usually overwinter as larvae which develop into pupae before spring. The moths emerge early in the spring and lay their eggs on the host's leaves or stems. The eggs hatch in about a week.