Bug FAQCactus Moth
Cactoblastis cactorum · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pyralidae
Also called: Cactoblastis Moth, Opuntia cactus moth, Pricklypear Moth
Source: Wikipedia
Eggs are laid in sticks that look like cactus spines and hatch in about a month. Larvae chew a single hole into the cactus pad and spend two months inside in summer (four months in winter). Adults mate before sunrise and live only about nine days (females) to eleven days (males).
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Egg sticks resemble cactus spines and develop for 25 to 30 days before hatching. Larvae enter the cactus through one hole they chew through the tough outer cuticle.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
In the Bahamas it attacks Opuntia cacti, which are a major food source for native iguanas.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
- In some areas it has spread uncontrollably and is classified as an invasive species.
- It was deliberately introduced to South Africa in 1933 and to the Caribbean in the 1950s.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The moth is a parasite that feeds on Opuntia cacti. It is one of the least selective Cactoblastis species when choosing a host.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Eggs hatch after 25 to 30 days. Larvae remain inside the host cactus for about two months in summer and about four months in winter.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Mating occurs before sunrise. Adult females live about nine days; males about eleven days.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is one of five Cactoblastis species native to South America. Four genetically distinct ecotypes of C. cactorum have been identified, each preferring different hosts and showing different larval forms.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 10 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Alabama, Hawaii, Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How does the cactus moth damage plants?
Its larvae bore into Opuntia cactus pads and feed inside, harming the plant.
Source: Wikipedia
How long do adult cactus moths live?
Females live about nine days and males about eleven days.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Pyralidae)
Indian-Meal MothPlodia interpunctellaCan damage your home
Greater Wax MothGalleria mellonella
Mediterranean Flour MothEphestia kuehniellaCan damage your home
Meal mothPyralis farinalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Bee MothAphomia sociellaNuisance, not dangerous
Yellow-fringed Dolichomia MothHypsopygia olinalisSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cactoblastis_cactorum
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.