Pheromone Chemicals

(Citrus flower moth) –the citrus blossom moth or citrus young fruit borer, is a moth of the family Plutellidae. The wingspan is 10–12 mm.

Life Cycle :

After emerging, the Moth feeds on sugary substances. It flies at dusk and during the day, resting in host trees. Mating occurs shortly after emergence. A few hours later, the female lays 1 to 3 eggs on a flower bud then moves to another. Total observed fertility: 60 to 150 eggs.

Egg : Oval, slightly convex, 0.15 x 0.20 mm, opalescent with a finely reticulated chorion.
Larva : Very pale and very small on hatching; 6.5 mm long and 1.8 mm wide when fully grown. Body pale, brownish or whitish with darker head and thoracic plate.
Pupa : In a very loose cocoon, white and frayed.
Adult : Wingspan 10 to 12 mm, dull grey colour. Antennae fairly short. Wings heavily fringed. The fore wings are a grainy grey-brown, darker on the lower edge and at the apex; the hind wings are very narrow, uniform grey-brown and smoky at the tips

Host plants :

All Citrus with a preference for lemon, Citrus decumana and to a lesser extent, orange.

Damage :

The flower buds attacked by larvae dry up and die. The attacked young fruits, devoured from the inside and soiled by frass, are aborted. More mature fruit is deformed and remains small.

The young caterpillar enters the flower bud and devours the folded flower parts, then exits by a round lateral hole and enters another bud which it precedes to empty in the same fashion. It spins silken threads which cover the attacked inflorescences. After the first stage of fruit formation, it attacks the young fruit, penetrating it laterally via the receptacle. Depending on the season, it also attacks tender young shoots and leaves which it joins together to form a web. It also penetrates developed fruits by boring a gallery in the skin.