| Home > Pest management > American plum borer |
| American plum borer (APB) larvae feed on the cambium tissue of many fruit and ornamental trees. In stone fruits, APB is most problematic on cherries and plum but can also be a pest of peach and nectarine. Larvae require an opening to enter the cambium. Typically, they enter through splits in cherry bark from mechanical harvesters, and cankers in peaches, plums and cherries caused by various pathogens. They also infest black knot in plums. There are two generations per year in Michigan. First-generation adults begin to emerge at cherry white bud stage. Second-brood adult flight generally begins in early July, while peak activity often coincides with cherry harvest in July. |
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Adults are about 25 mm long. The forewings of males and females are reddish to grayish brown with a wavy band of black and brown markings toward the wing tips. The hind wings are pale brownish gray and fringed on the trailing edges. |
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| American plum borer larvae. |
Evidence of APB tunneling. |
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| This information was developed from A Pocket Guide for IPM Scouting in Stone Fruits by David Epstein, Larry J. Gut, Alan L. Jones and Kimberly Maxson-Stein. Purchase this in a pocket-sized guide for reference in the orchard from MSU Extension (publication E-2840). |
