budworm
noun
bud·worm ˈbəd-ˌwərm 
: a moth larva that feeds on the buds of plants compare spruce budworm, tobacco budworm
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The budworm's population naturally booms and busts somewhere in the state about every 12 years, said Eric Otto, forest health specialist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). 
Greg Stanley, Star Tribune, 14 Dec. 2020 Aerial surveys showed more than 200,000 trees were killed by the budworm in 2018 and 2019. Greg Stanley, Star Tribune, 14 Dec. 2020 The problem in asking me is that there are all manner of reasons why a spruce tree would have needles turn brown, from sawflies and budworms to fungi, viruses, mites and bad weather. Jeff Lowenfels, Alaska Dispatch News, 22 Sep. 2017 This article on Petunias from Colorado State gives information on petunias and their pests, including the Tobacco (geranium) budworm. Kym Pokorny, OregonLive.com, 12 July 2017
Greg Stanley, Star Tribune, 14 Dec. 2020 Aerial surveys showed more than 200,000 trees were killed by the budworm in 2018 and 2019. Greg Stanley, Star Tribune, 14 Dec. 2020 The problem in asking me is that there are all manner of reasons why a spruce tree would have needles turn brown, from sawflies and budworms to fungi, viruses, mites and bad weather. Jeff Lowenfels, Alaska Dispatch News, 22 Sep. 2017 This article on Petunias from Colorado State gives information on petunias and their pests, including the Tobacco (geranium) budworm. Kym Pokorny, OregonLive.com, 12 July 2017 Word History
First Known Use
1849, in the meaning defined above