Diamondback Moth

Diamondback Moth 

(Plutella maculipennis), a butterfly of the family Plutellidae, injurious to cruciferpus plants. Wing-span, 14–17 mm. The anterior wings are grayish or blackish brown with a wavy white stripe on the interior edge; the posterior wings are gray with a long fringe. The caterpillar is 9–12 mm long, spindle-shaped, and green. The eggs are pale yellow. The diamondback moth is distributed throughout the world. It does most damage to cabbage and rutabaga plants. There are between one and eight generations each year; the chrysalides winter on cruciferous weeds, stumps, and leaves. The moths emerge between April and June. One to three eggs are laid on the underside of leaves or on stems. The caterpillars first penetrate into the leaf tissue. They subsequently appear on the leaf surface, eating “little windows” in the leaves. Measures taken against the diamond-back moth include destruction of weeds, tillage of harvest remains, and treatment of plants with insecticides and the microbiological preparation entobacterin.