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Stalk Borer

The Stalk Borer (Papaipema nebris), acts like the Squash Vine Borer but is not picky about which plants it eats. This year it has destroyed several tomato plants in the local area. They are also a problem for corn, where they may enter the plant at the base and eat their way up or start at the top and eat their way down. While the VT web site says there are no known home chemicals that will take care of this worm the local Extension agent thought that Sevin would work. The Stalk Borer comes from a moth.

Reference(s):

http://www.idlab.ento.vt.edu/IDLab/vegpests/vegfs/stalkborer.html

http://ipm.ncsu.edu/ag271/corn_sorghum/stalk_borer.html