BIDENS BORER

BIDENS BORER

Epiblema otiosana
TORTRICID MOTHS (Tortricidae)

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The Bidens Borer moth has a wingspan of approximately .75 inch. The forewing is mixed gray, brown and black. There is a large silvery white u-shaped patch at the midpoint of the inner margin. The inner subterminal area is pale gray or tan. The hindwing is light brown. The legs are speckled brown and white.

 

The frequency of occurrence in this area is not known. One individual has been photographed at Fontenelle Forest in mid-June 2016 coming to lights. Adults fly from May to September. It occurs from Maine and Ontario to Florida, west to Kansas and Texas.

 

The larvae bore into the stem of Bidens species (beggar-ticks Spanish needles, ragweed and smartweed.

 

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