Because of its concealed habit and long life cycle, control of this borer is problematic and can be rather labor-intensive. Check trunks above barriers for evidence of small larvae working just beneath the surface. Check bark for small pinholes with sawdust exuding from them. If a tree is injured beyond recovery, it should be taken out and burned before the following spring to prevent borers inside from completing their life cycle. American Plum Borer Eggs of this moth are deposited on cherry and peach trees in cracks under loose bark and hatch in a few days.
Larval tunnels are shallow with frequent openings to the outer bark, where red frass accumulates.
The larvae can't bore into the cambium unless a wound of some sort is present. Because most of the tart cherries in New York are mechanically harvested, APB has become the major borer pest in some orchards in the Lake Ontario fruit growing region. In Michigan, directed trunk sprays are recommended in cherries at petal fall, when first generation adults are emerging. Flight phenology in New York is similar. Adults begin to emerge during bloom and the flight peaks around petal fall or shortly thereafter.