Common Stalk Borer
The Common Stalk Borer (Papaipema nebris) [family: Noctuidae], is a type of moth (in the adult stage) which is native to North America. In its larval stage it is called a ‘borer’ because of the way it chews holes into the stalks of plants and bores into–and tunnels through–them. It is particularly fond of large whorled-leaf plants such as corn (it is known to attack 176 different plant species). Plants damaged by them are usually stunted or misshapen, or both. The damage can be severe enough to kill the plant, especially if the borer has tunneled into the stalk of the plant at the soil-level.
Its range is from southern Canada, throughout the eastern U.S. (east of the Rockies), and south to the Gulf of Mexico; but, it is absent from Florida. [Your choice of three detailed fact sheets below for additional information]
Additional Information:
- Common Stalk Borer (University of Minnesota)
- The Common Stalk Borer in Corn (University of Kentucky)
- Stalk Borer (Penn State)