Pest of the Month November 2009 – Coconut Leafroller

  • Hosts:  Coconuts, bananas, native Pritchardias
  • Range: All major Hawaiian Islands. More prevalent in windswept areas, possibly due to wind interference with parasitoids. Believed to be endemic to Hawaii.
  • Symptoms:  Young larvae feed on underside of leaves beneath a protective thin web of silk. They leave the opposite epidermis intact. As they get older, they feed on the epidermis of both leaf surfaces.  Older caterpillars attach the edges of the leaf together to create a protective chamber.
  • Spread through: Adult moth
  • Control: several biological controls present in Hawaii. Chemical control is usually not needed.

Source: Dr. Scot Nelson’s PowerPoint presentation from the 2009 Green Industry Conference and Trade Show

Omiodes blackburni, Coconut Leafroller. Photo by Forest & Kim Starr, Image# 020511-0041.