ENTO 331 :: Lecture 03 :: Pests of Sorghum

PESTS OF SORGHUM :: Minor Pests :: Earhead Web Worm

8. Ear head web worm: Cryptoblabes gnidiella (Pyraustidae: Lepidoptera)

Host: Sorghum, Maize

Damage symptoms: The larvae destroy the grain in the head. They produce webs of silken thread that remain on and inside the head. Heavily infested heads may be covered with webbing.

Bionomics: The adult moth is small with brown fore wings and light brown hind wings. Creamy white, round or conical eggs are laid singly on the spikelets and on grains of the panicle. The egg period is 3-4 days. The larva is light brown with dark head and has dark lateral lines on the body. The larval duration is 9-10 days. It constructs silken cocoon and pupates within the silken webs. Pupal period 7 days. The life cycle is completed in 23-24 days.