MINT STEM BORER LIFE CYCLE AND HABITS

Mint stem borer, Pseudobaris nigrina, is a black weevil, about 1/8 inch long, that overwinters in mint fields and becomes active in mid-May to early June. The female, which may deposit as many as 100 eggs during the growing season, chews a hole in a mint stem near the soil line and deposits a single egg in the wound. Larvae hatch in late June and begin feeding on the tissues in the center of the stems and usually burrow into the rhizomes. Larvae feed for about 3 to 4 weeks until late July, although in Idaho some larvae have been found in the stems as late as October. Pupae are found in late July and produce adults that emerge about 2 weeks later. There is one generation each year and apparently a partial second generation in late fields. Overwintering adults are usually found inside hollow stems or in soil debris. The mint stem borer has only been found infesting mint in Idaho and eastern Oregon, where it feeds on peppermint, and native and scotch spearmint. It also feeds on wild mints, goldenrod and Kochia.

For a more detailed description of this pest, see Baird et al. (1990) The Mint Stem Borer in Idaho, University of Idaho Extension, Current Information Series No. 808.

MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL OF MINT STEM BORER

Mint stem borer occurs in Idaho and Malheur County in eastern Oregon but damage is minimal and may not be sufficient to justify treatment (Baird et al., 1990). Adults can be sampled during the daytime with a sweep net from mid- May to mid-June. In Idaho, unpainted wooden lath stakes coated with stickum have been used to monitor adult activity. Stakes should be placed in the field in mid-May and checked twice weekly through mid-June. To sample for larvae, take mint stem samples from several different locations in the field during late June through July. Cut the stems just below the soil, split the stems, and look for larvae or feeding damage. Stems of infested plants appear weakened near the soil surface where the eggs are laid and the larvae are feeding. Plants appear weak with the early visible symptoms of yellowing, wilting, and lodging. Damage from the mint stem borer is greatest in stressed plants. Healthy, vigorously growing mint usually does not show symptoms or yield loss despite high numbers of adults in the field. In Idaho, mint fields 3 to 5 years old or mint that is under stress (water, fertilizer, root diseases) are most affected by this pest. Baird et al. (1990) recommend that the best way to control the mint stem borer is to maintain a healthy stand of mint and avoid stressing the plants through proper irrigation, fertilization, and disease management. Management of weeds, particularly wild mints, goldenrod, and Kochia is also important since the mint stem borer may increase in these weeds growing along ditch banks, roadways, and in waste areas.

Selecting clean planting stock free of overwintering mint stem borer adults will help insure vigorous plant stands. Also, crop rotation will help maintain healthy, vigorous stands of mint and prevent serious mint stem borer injury.

No insecticides are registered to control mint stem borer. Control with insecticides is very difficult because larvae are protected inside mint stems. However, since adults may be active at about the same time as growers are applying insecticides for cutworm, looper, and strawberry root weevil adult control, growers may see moderately effective suppression of mint stem borer adults with the same insecticide application.

Even though the mint stem borer is presently not widespread in all mint production areas in the Pacific Northwest, it is important to recognize the damage and sample suspected fields to prevent it from spreading to other growing areas, especially in mint planting stock.