Field Identification
Small crambid moth whose larvae web and feed inside sunflower heads, contaminating seed with frass and allowing Rhizopus head rot to colonize damaged florets. Economic on oilseed and confection types when populations spike.
Larvae are pinkish caterpillars in silken tunnels on the face of the head; adults are narrow gray moths active at dusk. Damage peaks from flowering through soft dough.
How to Deal With It
Organic Control Methods
Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki or spinosad directed at larvae while heads are still vertical and spray penetration is possible—timing is tighter than for most field crops.
Trichogramma egg parasitoids released at oviposition; native braconid and ichneumonid wasps attack larvae—preserve them by avoiding broad-spectrum night sprays across headlands.
Plant uniform stands to synchronize flowering; destroy crop residue; rotate away from sunflower where regional populations build.
Nothing practical at field scale beyond timing harvest before excessive webbing—accept some threshold loss.
Pheromone monitoring traps in the region; scout five random heads per field at R5–R6.
Let Nature Handle It
Natural Enemies
- Trichogramma spp.
- Braconid Wasps
- Ichneumonid Wasps
Threat Map