Insect Pests of Fruit, Plantation, Medicinal & Aromatic Crops (2+1)

2. Pod borer

2. Pod borer - Etiella zinckenella (Phycitidae: Lepidoptera)

Damage

• Caterpillars make minute holes on the pods and attack seeds.
  
Bionomics

• Adults are brownish grey moths with orange thorax and white stripe along the anterior margin of fore wings.
  
• Small, elliptical and glistening white coloured eggs are laid singly at the junction of calyx and pod.
  
• Caterpillars are reddish-pink dorsally and pale greenish ventrally.
  
• They bore inside green pods and feed within.
  
• Generally one caterpillar is found in one pod.