Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) is the timber species of greatest economic value in Tropical America. Plants of S. macrophylla are strongly attacked by caterpillars of H. grandella, which feed on fruits, flowers and cambium of many meliaceae, and the greatest damage occurs when they penetrate the terminal shoots of young plants, because successive infestations result in stunting and permanent and irreversible deformation of the stem of the plant. The symptoms of the attack are exudation of gum and sawdust, originating from the larval activity, dry leaves in the middle of the green foliage, and the emission of new shoots at each attack.