Bug FAQMaple Webworm Moth
Pococera asperatella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pyralidae
Source: Wikipedia
Adult moths are a powdery gray color. One generation of the moth occurs each year. The caterpillars eat foliage of hardwoods such as sumac and maple, potentially harming those trees.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults have a powdery gray appearance.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The moths are powdery gray in color.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on the leaves of hardwood species, including sumac and maple.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
There is one generation per year.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 37 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Virginia, Alabama, North Carolina, New Jersey, Vermont, Maryland, New York.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How many generations does this moth have each year?
It produces one generation per year.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the caterpillars eat?
The larvae feed on foliage of hardwood trees such as sumac and maple.
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/Pococera_asperatella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.