Whiteheads is the term used to describe panicles of rice that have no grain development as a result of stem borer damage. The panicles are starved of nutrients and water and become white as they dehydrate. The sugarcane borer (Diatreae saccharalis) is one of the more prevalent borers attacking rice in Louisiana. The adult is tawny with a distinctive inverted "V" pattern on its wings. The sugarcane borer adult lays its eggs on the leaves of its host plant. The eggs are laid in overlapping rows resembling fish scales.

With enlargement (Click on the image then rest the cursor on the larger image until an icon appears in the lower right-hand corner. Click on the icon to further enlarge the photograph.) the plant on the far left has a small opening where the newly hatched sugarcane borer larva has entered. The discoloration on the plants resulted from feeding on the inner side of the leaf sheath. The sugarcane borer must be controlled when very small, before entering the stem. This larva was removed from behind the leaf sheath of a plant exhibiting symptoms as in the above image. Insecticides are ineffective once the larva enters the stem. When plants exhibiting borer injury symptoms are split, often the borer can be found. Sometimes it is too late because the borer has emerged to pupate in the soil.