Humped green fruitworm

Amphipyra pyramidoides Guenée

Lepidoptera: Noctuidae

Distribution: Mainly southeastern Canada and northeastern US to the mid-Atlantic states.

Photos

Fruit drop or remain on the tree and develop corky scars. NY State Ag Experiment Station
C

A. pyramidoides: Adult's forewings are gray and marked with light and dark areas for 2/3 of their length; the outer 1/3 is a lighter gray. The larva, which has a pronounced rear hump, is apple green, often with a milky overcast, and marked with broken white dorsal lines and a yellow and white band along each side (A).

Crops Affected: apples, cherries, peaches, pears, plums

Damage

Attacks all deciduous tree fruits. Larvae feed on young leaves (B) and dig tunnels in buds and young fruit, often leaving a symmetrical round hole; fruit drop when the core is injured, or otherwise remain on the tree and develop corky scars (C).

Management

Use of broad-spectrum or selective (e.g., Bacillus thuringiensis) insecticides, if necessary, before or after bloom.

Similar Species

Many other fruitworm species are present in the region, but most are similar in appearance (green, with dots, dashes, lines or stripes of white, cream or yellow) and all can be considered as members of the "green fruitworm" complex. These also include Lithophane antennata (Walker), widestriped green fruitworm; Orthosia hibisci (Guenée), Speckled green fruitworm; Lithophane baileyi Grotnmke, Bailey green fruitworm and Himella fidelis Grote, fourlined green fruitworm.