Top Results for Pyralid

The cactus moth, Cactoblastis cactorum, is a South American moth in the family Pyralidae whose caterpillars feed inside prickly pear and other Opuntia cacti. It was introduced into Australia in the 1920s as a biological control agent against invasive prickly pear, where it contributed to the reducti...

Celery leaftier (Udea rubigalis), also called the greenhouse leaftier, is a crambid moth described by Achille Guenée in 1854 and recorded across the Americas. Its larvae feed on celery and other cultivated plants, tying or folding leaves with silk and sometimes skeletonizing the foliage. Adults are...

The sunflower moth, Homoeosoma electellum, is a small pyralid moth native to North America whose caterpillars develop in sunflower flower heads. Larvae can web together parts of the head, feed on florets and developing seeds, and contaminate or weaken the crop, which makes the species an agricultura...

The beet webworm moth, Spoladea recurvalis, is a moth in the family Crambidae described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775. It has a broad distribution, especially in tropical and subtropical regions, and may occur farther north as a migrant. Its larvae feed in silken webs on leaves of beet, Swiss...

European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis, is a crambid moth whose larvae bore into corn stalks, ears and other plant parts. The species is native to Europe and was first reported in North America near Boston, Massachusetts, in 1917; it subsequently spread through major corn-growing regions of the Uni...

The Mediterranean flour moth (Ephestia kuehniella) is a small pyralid moth found worldwide as a pest of stored foods. Its larvae feed on flour, meal, and other milled grain products while spinning dense silk webbing that binds food particles and can clog machinery in flour mills, bakeries, and wareh...

The lesser wax moth, Achroia grisella, is a small moth of the family Pyralidae found in association with honey bee colonies across warm regions of the world. Its larvae feed on beeswax, pollen, and other debris, tunnelling through and damaging the comb; they chiefly attack weakened colonies and stor...

Galleria mellonella, the greater wax moth, is a moth of the family Pyralidae whose larvae, known as waxworms, feed on beeswax and honeycomb inside honey bee colonies, destroying comb in weakened hives and stored frames and making the species a significant apicultural pest worldwide. The larvae are w...

The meal moth (Pyralis farinalis) is a pyralid moth whose larvae feed on stored, dry plant material. It has a cosmopolitan distribution and occurs in places such as mills, warehouses, and household pantries, where it can infest flour, grain, and other milled foods. Adults have brown forewings with c...

The Indian mealmoth (Plodia interpunctella) is a small moth of the family Pyralidae and among the most widespread pests of stored food in homes worldwide. Adults are recognized by their two-toned wings, with a coppery or bronze band across the outer portion and pale grey inner sections. Its larvae f...

The box tree moth, Cydalima perspectalis, is a crambid moth native to East Asia whose caterpillars feed mainly on boxwood plants in the genus Buxus. It was introduced to Europe in the early twenty-first century and has spread through many countries, where larval feeding can strip ornamental and wild...