Fruit‐Piercing Moth Serrodes partita (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) in Soft Citrus: Feeding Behaviour and Damage Patterns for Improved Management in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

ABSTRACT The fruit‐piercing moth, Serrodes partita (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), is a significant pest of soft citrus in South Africa. The adult moth pierces ripe and ripening fruit, leading to fruit rot. The damage is challenging to detect due to the delayed onset of symptoms. The study investigated the feeding preferences and damage patterns of S. partita in South African citrus orchards in the Eastern Cape Province to further develop effective management strategies. Mass trapping in two Satsuma Mandarin orchards revealed higher moth catches on boundaries adjacent to the river and indigenous vegetation, suggesting inter‐habitat movement. Feeding assessments showed a preference for damaged or ripening fruit, with Satsuma Mandarins exhibiting significantly more feeding scars than Clementines. Both cultivars displayed rotting symptoms within 3–4 days post‐feeding from 34 fruit, emphasising the need for a post‐harvest holding period to detect damage when S. partita activity is apparent. The study also highlighted the moths' preference for physically compromised fruit, likely due to the increased release of attractant fruit volatiles and easier access to juice. Strategic retention of damaged fruit as sacrificial bait, combined with mass trapping, is proposed as a cost‐effective control measure that requires further assessment, particularly when moth populations are high. This study advances fruit‐piercing moth research in South Africa by improving understanding of S. partita feeding behaviour, damage development, and management in citrus orchards.