Field Identification
A clearwing moth larva that bores persimmon trunks and larger limbs, producing sawdust-like frass and sometimes oozing sap—like a termite with wings and bad timing. Weak or sun-scalded bark is their favorite door.
Adults resemble small wasps with clear wings; larvae are creamy with a dark head and tunnel cambium. Infested trees may show dieback above galleries and structural weakness on narrow trunks.
How to Deal With It
Organic Control Methods
Sprays rarely reach larvae; trunk sprays of neem or spinosad can deter egg-lay on fresh wounds if timed to adult flight—monitor with pheromone or blacklight traps where available.
Braconid parasitoids attack larvae in some regions; woodpeckers excavate shallow borers.
Avoid bark injury from mowers and string trimmers; paint trunks white in hot climates to reduce sunscald; remove and burn/chip heavily infested limbs during dormant season.
Probe live galleries with flexible wire to crush larvae; bag infested cut wood before adults emerge.
Inspect trunks in late spring for frass; maintain tree vigor with mulch out to dripline—not against the bark.
Let Nature Handle It
Natural Enemies
- Braconid Wasps
- Woodpeckers
- Ants
Threat Map