Abstract  [Objectives]  To clarify the occurrence of the Yellow peach borer (YPB), Conogethes punctiferalis, in the field, and determine the impact of sowing date on the amount of damage inflicted by this pest on corn, sorghum and sunflower crops. [Methods] Corn, sorghum, and sunflower seeds were sown on three different dates in Beijing and Langfang, Hebei Province. The five-point sampling method was used to locate oviposition sites and the number of eggs laid. Before harvest, the number of larvae, damaged plant parts and the plant damage rate, were determined by dissecting plants. [Results]  Eggs could be observed from mid-late July to October and the prolonged oviposition period resulted in considerable overlap between generations. Females mostly lay eggs during the tasseling, filling and milking stages of corn, and prefer to lay on the tassel, silks, sheath and leaves above the level of the ear. Females mainly lay eggs on the bracts, nectary glands, sepal and tubiform florets of sunflower plants. Among different crops with the same sowing date, sunflower was the most severely damaged, followed by sorghum, and corn was the least damaged. The degree of damage to the same crop sown on different dates, was proportional to the degree to which the growing and pest-sensitive period of the crop were synchronous with the peak of YPB abundance. YPB mainly damage the ears of corn, the heads of sorghum and the sunflower flower plate. [Conclusion] These findings confirm that sowing date affects the amount of damage inflicted by the YPB on corn, sorghum and sunflower crops. This information should help improve the monitoring, forecasting, and management, of this pest.