Coleotechnites Flower Moth

Coleotechnites florae · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gelechiidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Coleotechnites Flower Moth
Photo: Sam Kieschnick, CC BY

The Coleotechnites flower moth is found across many parts of North America, including numerous U.S. states and Canadian provinces. Its larvae feed on lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta).

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

The caterpillars eat the needles of Pinus contorta.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 29 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, Virginia, Indiana, Maryland, Florida.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Coleotechnites Flower Moth photo 2
Photo: Sam Kieschnick, CC BY
Coleotechnites Flower Moth photo 3
Photo: Annika Lindqvist, CC BY
Coleotechnites Flower Moth photo 4
Photo: David Dodd, CC BY
Coleotechnites Flower Moth photo 5
Photo: David Dodd, CC BY

Questions people ask

What does the Coleotechnites flower moth eat?

Its larvae feed on Pinus contorta.

Source: Wikipedia

Where is the Coleotechnites flower moth found?

It has been recorded in many U.S. states and Canadian provinces across North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Gelechiidae)

Angoumois Grain MothAngoumois Grain MothSitotroga cerealellaDamages trees, gardens or cropsBlack-smudged Chionodes MothBlack-smudged Chionodes MothChionodes mediofuscellaInverse and Kimball's Dichomeris MothsInverse and Kimball's Dichomeris MothsDichomeris inversellaPink-washed Aristotelia MothPink-washed Aristotelia MothAristotelia roseosuffusellaWhite Stripe-backed MothWhite Stripe-backed MothArogalea cristifasciellaBurdock Seedhead MothBurdock Seedhead MothMetzneria lappella

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleotechnites_florae

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.