Bug FAQMaple Clearwing Moth
Synanthedon acerrubri · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Sesiidae
Also called: Red Maple Borer Moth, Red Maple Borer
Source: Wikipedia
Synanthedon acerrubri, also called the red maple borer or maple clearwing moth, is a clearwing borer moth. It bores into the wood of red and sugar maples, causing serious damage to the trees. It is found in the eastern United States and Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The species is Synanthedon acerrubri and is known as the red maple borer or maple clearwing moth.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Its larvae bore into several maple species, especially red maples and sugar maples.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 34 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Illinois.
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
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How does the maple clearwing moth damage trees?
Its larvae bore into the wood of red and sugar maples, harming the trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is the red maple borer found?
It is found in the eastern United States and Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Sesiidae)
Purplish CopperLycaena helloides
Squash Vine BorerEichlinia cucurbitaeDamages trees, gardens or crops
Bronze CopperLycaena hyllus
Maple Callus Borer MothSynanthedon acerniDamages trees, gardens or crops
Southern Red RimBiblis hyperia
Peachtree Borer MothSynanthedon exitiosaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synanthedon_acerrubri
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.