Common Stalk Borer
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Key Points
- Common stalk borer is a sporadic and infrequent pest of corn in much of North America.
- Damage to corn is most common near field borders, waterways, or terraces, and in continuous corn.
- Several available Bt corn technologies provide control or suppression of common stalk borer larvae.
Pest Facts and Impact on Crop
- Latin name: Papaipema nebris.
- Native to North America; may be found in most areas east of the Rockies.
- Sporadic and infrequent pest of corn; incidence increases with no-till or grass weed infestation.
- Highest incidence usually occurs in rows closest to grass field borders, waterways, or terraces with large weeds (e.g., giant ragweed), or in continuous corn.
- Development begins in grasses, but larvae move at about 1400 - 1700 GDU (base 41 °F) to larger hosts, including nearby corn.
- Primary hosts are corn, quackgrass, giant ragweed, wirestem muhly, tomato, and occasionally soybeans.
- Has no known significant natural enemies.
Stalk borer
Injury Symptoms
- Stalk borers tunnel into corn stalks above the soil or climb directly into the whorl resulting in tattered leaves.
- Young plants (VE-V3) may be killed by tunneling below the growing point.
- On older plants (V4-V8), the leaves will usually discolor, wilt, and die if tunneling is between them and the growing point; often called “dead heart.”
- Plants infested after the V8 stage usually show little visible injury.
- Non-lethal infestations in early-stage plants cause stunting, tillering, delayed development, and increase frequency of barren plants, reducing yield.
Dead "heart"
Stunted ears
Tunnel in corn stalk.
Pest ID - Key Characteristics
- Stalk borer larvae are cream to light brown with a dark purple saddle on the forward half of the body.
- Larvae have dark streaks on either side of their heads.
- As larvae grow, the purple becomes dilute and faded.
- Larvae are about ½ inch long when they leave grass and will reach nearly 2 inches at full development before fall.
Early-stage stalk borer head
Early-stage stalk borer.
Late-stage stalk borer.
Areas Prone to Common Stalk Borer Injury
Egg laying site: grass terrace.
Stunted corn in border rows infested with stalk borers.
Egg laying site: giant ragweed and grasses.
Management Considerations
- Tillage or herbicide grass control in the prior fall will reduce ovipositional attractiveness.
- Burning grassy field borders before planting may destroy eggs.
- Begin scouting at about 1300 GDU (41° base) accumulation since January 1.
- Grassy or weedy field edges, such as shelterbelts, terraces, waterways.
- No-till fields with heavy vegetation prior to burn down.
- Resistance available
- Several available Bt corn technologies provide control or suppression of common stalk borer larvae.
- Pesticide use and timing
- Most effective if timed when larva are leaving host plants after a herbicide application.
- Maximum 80% effective when used on infested plants, spray only infested areas of the field.
- On corn plants below V6, less than 10% infestation may warrant spot treatment, later than V7 nearly 100% of the plants must be infested to warrant treatment
Pest ID - Related/Confused Species
Several species share the same habitat and may cause similar looking injury.
Other borers:
Eurpean corn borer - no purple
Corn earworm – multicolored stripes
Hop vine borer – no stripe on side of head, burrows up from root
Fall armyworm – multicolored stripes
Southwestern corn borer – dark spots, no stripe on side of head
Lesser cornstalk borer – purple bands - not striped
Other seeding feeders:
- Billbug, wireworm, cutworm
Stalk Borer Annual Cycle
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