Synanthedon scitula
Encyclopedia
The Dogwood Borer or Pecan Borer (Synanthedon scitula) is a moth
of the Sesiidae
family. It is found from south-eastern Canada
and New England
, west to Ohio
and Minnesota
, south to Texas
.
The wingspan
is 14-20 mm. Adults are on wing March to September. There are one or two generations per year.
The larvae bore into and beneath the bark of various trees and shrubs, including apple, bayberry, black cherry, blueberry, beech, birch, chestnut, dogwood, elm, hazel, hickory, mountain-ash, oak, pecan, pine and willow. The species overwinters in the larval stage beneath the bark of a living tree or shrub. Pupation occurs in spring.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Sesiidae
Sesiidae
The Sesiidae or clearwing moths are family of the Lepidoptera in which the wings partially have hardly any of the normal lepidopteran scales, leaving them transparent. The bodies are generally striped with yellow, red or white, sometimes very brightly, and they have simple antennae...
family. It is found from south-eastern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, west to Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, south to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 14-20 mm. Adults are on wing March to September. There are one or two generations per year.
The larvae bore into and beneath the bark of various trees and shrubs, including apple, bayberry, black cherry, blueberry, beech, birch, chestnut, dogwood, elm, hazel, hickory, mountain-ash, oak, pecan, pine and willow. The species overwinters in the larval stage beneath the bark of a living tree or shrub. Pupation occurs in spring.