Old cucurbit pest make new appearance in California cantaloupes

During the spring 2020 melon season, a ‘new’ caterpillar pest was discovered tunneling in the outer rind of cantaloupes from multiple fields in the Palo Verde Valley of far eastern California. Entomologists in the low desert with 30+ years of melon experience did not recognize the pest. Adults reared from caterpillars were determined to be omnivorous leafroller (Platynota stultana), a pest of Arizona melons in the 1930s-1950s. Low pest pressures during the 2020 spring production season resulted in fewer insecticide applications targeting lepidopterous pests, thought a factor in establishment in local cantaloupes. Data on tunneling was collected, as such information was not readily available. Tunneling damage was noted in a small percentage of cantaloupe rinds at harvest.