Poplar (Populus)-Carpenterworm

Prionoxystus robinae

Pest description and crop damage Large white larva (1 to 3 inches) bores 0.5-inch-diameter holes in trunk and main branches and eventually kills trees. Adult moth is speckled gray. Three-year life cycle.

Management-cultural control

Keep trees vigorous.

Management-chemical control

See:

Apply preventive spray to major branches and trunk as well as to crown of small trees. Apply in early June and early July.

For more information

Johnson, W.T. and H.H. Lyon (1991), Insects That Feed on Trees and Shrubs, 2nd ed., Cornell University Press (p. 256).