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

The study looked at the damage bugs like the European corn borer and the Asiatic rice borer could do as temperatures rise.

From Seattle Times

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

The repellant effect of bursts of ultrasonic sound is being tested in Canada against corn borer and cutworm moths.

From Literature

MON 810 is marketed by US biotech giant Monsanto and is modified to be resistant to the European corn borer, a damaging insect pest.

From BBC

Just as others were about to dismiss it as a “little brown thing,” he said, “Oh, actually, that looks like it could be a European corn borer.”

From New York Times