Life Cycle

The female lays about 250 eggs. Within 3 to 5 days larvae hatches out from the eggs. The larva enters the plant tissues immediately after their hatching and after five moultings it becomes fully matured. The fully grown larva is stout, pink coloured with brown head. The body bears wart all over the body through which hairs protrudes out. Larval period last for about 10-15 days. The matured larva comes out of the host tissues and forms pupa among the fallen leaves or on the surface of stem and fruits of the host plant. The adult moths live for two to five day. The life cycle is completed in 21-43 days. There are five overlapping generations in their active phase in a year. During winter the larvae hibernates inside the soil.

Nature of Damage

Larva is a internal feeder it immediately bore into the nearest tender shoot or flower or fruit just after hatching,. Soon after boring into shoots or fruits, they plug the entrance hole with excreta. As a result, the affected twigs flower and fruits dries up and may drop off.

Larval feeding, inside shoots, result in wilting of the young shoot. Presence of wilted shoots is the surest sign of damage by this pest. The damaged shoots ultimately wither and drop off. This reduces plant growth, which in turn, reduces fruit number and size. New shoots can arise but this delays crop maturity and the newly formed shoots are also subject to larval damage. Larval feeding in flowers results in failure to form fruit from damaged flowers. Larval feeding inside the fruit results in destruction of fruit tissue. The feeding tunnels are often clogged with frass. This makes even slightly damaged fruit unfit for marketing. The yield loss varies from season to season and from location to location.