Oriental fruit moth

noun

1. a moth, Grapholitha molesta, introduced into the U.S. from Asia, the larvae of which infest and feed on the twigs and fruits of peach, plum, and related trees.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Oriental fruit moth¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

One star performer is Trichogramma minutum, a small species of wasp which lays its own eggs inside the eggs of the codling moth, oriental fruit moth, European corn borer, pecan nut case bearer, Angoumois grain moth, many another.

From Time Magazine Archive

A more critical matter was the importation and propagation of insects from the city, such as the oriental fruit moth, which thrived in the carelessly kept backyard plantings of suburbanites and then wreaked havoc in commercial orchards.

From Project Gutenberg