Pinyon Tip Moth – Diorytria albovittella

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Pinyon tip moth (Dioryctria albovittella)

Latin Name: Dioryctria albovittella

Common Name: Pinyon tip moth

Appearance:

The pinyon tip moth (Dioryctria albovittella) belongs to the Pyralidae family of moths.

  • Larvae may also have corridor cones. Older larvae with a dark brown head capsule seen within the tunnelled terminal in late spring and early summer are pale golden brown in hue.
  • Larvae develop to be around 3/4 inch long when fully mature.
  • Adults are small greyish moths with a zig-zag pattern and a 1-inch wingspan on their forewings.
  • Their hindwings have a greyish white color.

Host plants: Pinyon

Territory:  It is found throughout North America, especially in New Mexico.

Damages caused by Pinyon tip moth:

The larvae feed under the bark of twig terminals, producing pruning wounds that cause twig dieback. Although there is often some leaking of the pitch at the incision site, it does not create the smooth, purple nodule that the pinyon pitch nodule moth produces.

Description about Leafminers:

Leafminer adults are tiny flies with yellow sections on their thorax, legs, and abdomen. They are 0.1 inches (2.5 mm) long, black to blue, and have yellow portions on their thorax, legs, and abdomen. There is generally a visible yellow patch at the base of the wings. The tiny white eggs are hidden behind the leaf’s epidermis and develop in 4 to 6 days. Pupation takes happen underground or in mines. During the summer, the life cycle takes around 23 days. Every year, three to five generations pass. Leafminers infrequently afflict beans. The majority of the time, their quality deteriorates after the harvesting season. Large whitish blotches or, in the case of serpentine leafminers, thin, white, winding paths into the leaf’s core occur from the larvae eating between the upper and lower leaf surfaces.

Life history and Habits:

The overwintering phase is the first instar larva found inside the bark of a small silk cocoon (hibernacula). In mid-to-late May, the insects burrow into the unopened buds’ base to eat. Insects mine the pith of the terminal growth as they expand. A lot of pitch and silk can build up at the wound site. Large larvae frequently migrate to new tissue, cones, or shoots from the initial wound location. In the terminals and cones, pupation takes place. From late June until August, adult flights and egg-laying take place largely. Every year, there is a new generation.