diamondback moth
nounDefinition of diamondback moth
: a nearly cosmopolitan moth (Plutella xylostella of the family Plutellidae) whose larva is a pest on cruciferous plants
Examples of diamondback moth in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Pests monitored: Pheromone lures are available for diamondback moths and moths that produce armyworms, cabbage loopers, corn earworms, European corn borers, tomato pinworms, and cutworms. — The Editors Of Organic Life, Good Housekeeping, "The 7 Best Organic Pest Control Techniques For Your Garden," 18 Dec. 2017 The diamondback moths are not irradiated, though, because the irradiation strategy didn’t work. — Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, "Genetically Modified Moths Come to New York," 8 Sep. 2017 Researchers from Cornell University are studying whether the engineered insects could be used to reduce the population of the diamondback moth—a European species that has become an agricultural pest in the United states. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Genetically Modified Moth May Soon Be Coming to New York Crops," 11 July 2017 Like Oxitec’s mosquitoes, its diamondback moths are genetically engineered to be self-limiting. — Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, "Genetically Modified Moths Come to New York," 8 Sep. 2017 The idea is that as the gene will spread among male moths while continuing to kill female moths—and eventually the diamondback moth population will crumble. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Genetically Modified Moth May Soon Be Coming to New York Crops," 11 July 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'diamondback moth.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more