Fruit Piercing Moth - Eudocima sp.

Fruit Piercing Moth

The fruit piercing moth is considered one of the biggest fruit pests in the world. It is found in large parts of the tropics, mainly in Asia, Africa and Australia but introduced into other areas such as Hawaii, New Zealand and the Society Islands.

Moths feed by piercing the skins of fruit and drinking its juices. By penetrating fruits with their small proboscis to get at the sweet, fruity juices they create a puncture wound where bacteria and fungus can get into the fruit. This causes rot which spreads through the whole fruit, causing it to drop off the tree.

Fruit farmers are not a fan of the damage done to their crop so they often use moth baits to kill these beautiful creatures or even introduce egg parasites and larval parasitoids who take over the bodies of the caterpillars, using them as a nesting ground to grow into their adult form.

Species: Eudocima sp.
Photo: Sarah Folts | TheButterflyBabe