EENY-374 Dogwood Borer, Synanthedon scitula(Harris) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) 1 Jamba Gyeltshen and Amanda Hodges 2 1. This document is EENY-374, one of a series of the Entomology and Nematology Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date May 2006. Revised January 2019. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.uf.edu for the currently supported version of this publication. This document is also available on the Featured Creatures website at http://entomology.ifas.uf.edu/creatures. 2. Jamba Gyeltshen and Amanda Hodges, Entomology and Nematology Department; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or afliations. For more information on obtaining other UF/IFAS Extension publications, contact your county’s UF/IFAS Extension ofce. U.S. Department of Agriculture, UF/IFAS Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A & M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, dean for UF/IFAS Extension. Introduction A member of the clearwing moth family, the dogwood borer, Synanthedon scitula (Harris), is one of the most destructive pests of fowering dogwood, Cornus forida L., afecting plantings in homes and parks (Johnson and Lyon 1991). It is also an important pest of many other ornamen- tal, fruit, and nut trees. Cultivated trees are usually more heavily infested than those in wood lots. Distribution Found in eastern Canada and in the United States, where it is widely distributed east of the Mississippi. Description Adult Dogwood borer, a clearwinged moth, has a wasp-like body, approximately 1 to 2 cm (1/2 inch) long. Adults are bluish-black with a yellow band on the second and fourth abdominal segments. Figure 1. Damage caused by clearwing moth larvae. Credits: UF/IFAS Figure 2. Adult female dogwood borer, Synanthedon scitula (Harris). Credits: James Solomon, USDA Forest Service, www.forestryimages. org