It is a serious pest in cotton because it is difficult to control. Egg masses are extremely hard to find, and by the time larvae are discovered, insecticides are usually ineffective. The European corn borer was introduced into North America in the early 1900s, possibly in shipments of broom corn from Europe. Its presence was first recorded in Massachusetts in 1917. Since then it has spread to practically all the major cornproducing areas of the United States and Canada.
Male moths are smaller and darker with wings marked in olive brown.
The wing span is about 1 inch. European corn borer moth. Females lay eggs in masses of 10 to 35 on the undersides of the lower leaves on the cotton plant. The flat, white eggs overlap each other, resembling fish scales. Mature larvae are about 1 inch long and vary from pink slate gray to pale brown with a dark gray middorsal line on the abdominal segments.