Insect pests of corn are often involved in the disease cycles of ear rot and stalk rot diseases. The European corn borer is particularly well known for its involvement in these diseases. The interaction between corn borer larvae and pathogenic fungi is threefold:

1. wounds on the plant made by corn borers are open infection sites for fungi;
2. corn borer larvae act as vectors of pathogenic fungi (they carry the spores directly into the wounds); and
3. the larvae cause stress on the plant that makes it more susceptible to infection and disease.