corn borer

American  

noun

1. any of several pyralid moths, as Pyrausta (ostrinia ) nubilalis European corn borer, the larvae of which bore into the stem and crown of corn and other plants.

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corn borer British  

noun

1. the larva of the pyralid moth Pyrausta nubilalis, native to S and Central Europe: in E North America a serious pest of maize

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Etymology

Origin of corn borer

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

In 1996, U.S. regulators approved corn that was genetically engineered to produce bug-killing proteins, accomplished by inserting a bacterium hostile to the corn borer insect into the plant genome.

From Reuters • Sep. 27, 2017

Farmers in the U.S. have been growing Bt corn designed to slay the European corn borer for 17 years without any evidence of resistance whatsoever.

From Scientific American • Sep. 3, 2013

MON810 produces a toxin that protects it from the European corn borer.

From Science Magazine • May 22, 2012

Spain grew 80 percent of the biotech corn, intended to resist a pest called the corn borer, produced in Europe last year.

From New York Times • Jul. 8, 2010

Scientists in Czechoslovakia are experimenting with protozoa against webworms and other insect pests, and in the United States a protozoan parasite has been found to reduce the egg- laying potential of the corn borer.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson