Bug FAQLight Brown Apple Moth
Epiphyas postvittana · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Tortricidae
Source: Wikipedia
The light brown apple moth is a leaf-rolling moth originally from Australia but now also found in places like New Caledonia, the British Isles, Hawaii and New Zealand. Its caterpillars feed on leaves and fruit, causing noticeable damage to plants. Control usually involves integrated pest-management tactics such as insecticides, horticultural oils, Bacillus thuringiensis, and natural predators.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It is a leafroller moth in the family Tortricidae.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
Orchard managers use integrated pest-management, including insecticides and horticultural oils to smother insects and eggs. Biological controls such as Bacillus thuringiensis and native parasitoids and predators also attack eggs and larvae.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on foliage and fruit, causing significant damage.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
It can produce three generations each year, sometimes a partial fourth. The moth does not have a winter resting stage.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to Australia.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 3 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Hawaii, Arizona.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in North America; introduced in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I control a light brown apple moth infestation?
Use an integrated pest-management program that may include insecticide sprays, horticultural oils to cover eggs, Bacillus thuringiensis, and encourage native parasitoids and predators.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Tortricidae)
Oblique-banded Leafroller MothChoristoneura rosaceanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Garden TortrixClepsis peritanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common MarbleSyricoris lacunanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Red-banded Leafroller MothArgyrotaenia velutinanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Filbertworm MothCydia latiferreanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Codling MothCydia pomonellaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_brown_apple_moth
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.