Box Tree Moth

Fascinating facts about the Box Tree Moth

• Box tree moths first appearing in Germany in 2006 and then spreading to Great Britain, the Netherlands and Switzerland by 2007, France and Austria in 2009, Hungary in 2011, Romania in 2012, Denmark in 2013 and Spain in 2014. The pest even hitch-hiked to Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics when planting stock from Italy was used in 2012, and within a year it stripped native box trees there. It later crossed the Atlantic, showing up in Ontario in August 2018 and the eastern United States in May 2021.
• In Britain the moth squeezes out two full generations between June and early August, then again from September to November, while in southwest Germany scientists have counted three generations in a single summer. In the warmest parts of its European range, where autumn stays mild, a fourth generation can sometimes be squeezed in before winter.
• A single box leaf can be peeled like an orange by a tiny 1-2 mm larva, which eats only the soft upper surface and leaves the tougher veins and waxy underside intact. As the caterpillar grows to its maximum 35-40 mm length over four weeks, it graduates to devouring whole leaves, often leaving just a thin rim around the edge and centre.
• In its Asian homeland the moth is kept in check by natural enemies, so box trees stay healthy, but in Europe the same species runs rampant because those regulators are missing. Where the Asian hornet Vespa velutina arrived before the moth (south-west France, 2004), the wasp has been seen catching small larvae and even those preparing to pupate, offering a glimpse of a possible biological control. Researchers are also testing the tachinid fly Exorista larvarum as another parasitoid that could restore balance.
• Male box moths can be lured into pheromone traps from March-April all the way to October-November, cutting off mating and slashing the number of fertile eggs laid. The traps are highly selective, attracting only the target species and sparing beneficial insects. When combined with the bacterial biocide Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki, which pierces caterpillar guts, growers can keep infestations low without resorting to broad-spectrum insecticides that harm mites and other garden allies.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Box Tree Moth

In the dappled light of woodland clearings, the Box Tree Moth unfurls its delicate wings, a masterful blend of subtle browns and creamy whites that allows it to dance unnoticed among the leafy undergrowth. With a gentle, fluttering motion, it navigates the intricate network of twigs and branches, its antennae twitching as it searches for the lush, emerald foliage of its beloved box trees. As it alights upon a tender shoot, its caterpillars will soon unleash a voracious appetite, leaving behind a trail of devastation that belies the moth's otherwise ethereal beauty.

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