Pickleworm: Appearance, Territory, Damage and Life Cycle

Latin Name: Diaphania Nitidalis

Appearance: The pickleworm, Diaphania Nitidalis, is a significant agricultural pest insect in the Crambidae family. It predominantly attacks squash, but it is also a pest of other cucurbits such as cucumbers and melons. It is a tropical plant native to the southern United States.

Hosts Plants: Pickleworm eats both wild and farmed cucurbits. Melothria pendula, sometimes known as creeping cucumber, is a significant wild host. The relevance of the wild balsam apple, Mormordica Chorantia, which has also been claimed to be a host, is debatable. Summer squash and winter squash species make excellent hosts. Because pumpkins have been developed from many Cucurbita species, their quality as a host varies. Cucumis species, including cucumber, gerkin, and cantaloupe, are attacked but not favored. Summer squash is the most popular and heavily damaged of all cucurbits.

Territory: Diaphania Nitidalis, the pickleworm, is distributed from Canada to sections of South America, and as far west as Oklahoma and Nebraska. It is a significant pest of a variety of cucurbits.

Damage Insect Cause: The larval stage of this insect is the most damaging. Larvae consume and burrow through flowers, vines, and fruits. Young larvae typically feed on the insides of blooms, leaf buds, or vine growth points. Older larvae, on the other hand, will burrow into the plant’s fruit, depositing frass as they feed and move around. Fruit that has been damaged goes sour, degrades, and rots. Vine damage happens when larvae dig into the vine, stopping it from growing and eventually killing it. There are several feeding holes along the vines. Pickleworm damage is typically not noticed until late August or early September in the Southeastern United States.

Life History and Habits: Pickleworm and melonworm are tropical insects that cannot survive in cold weather. They are only known to overwinter in south/central Florida and southern Texas in the United States. Each spring, the adult moths disperse northward. During the summer, the pickleworm moth migrates into the Carolinas and can reach as far north as Minnesota and as far west as Oklahoma and Nebraska. However, the melonworm is rarely seen north of the Gulf nations.