Bug FAQMint-loving Pyrausta Moth
Pyrausta acrionalis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Crambidae
Also called: Mint-loving Pyrausta
Source: Wikipedia
The mint-loving Pyrausta moth has a wingspan of about 14 to 18 mm. It lives in eastern North America, from New Hampshire and Ontario down to Georgia and Alabama. Its larvae feed on mint leaves and can damage those plants in a garden setting.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 14 to 18 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae eat the leaves of mint (Mentha) species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 34 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Ohio, New York, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Alabama, North Carolina, Texas, Maryland.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Do these moths damage garden plants?
Yes, the caterpillars feed on mint leaves and can harm mint plants in a garden.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Crambidae)
Box Tree MothCydalima perspectalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Celery Leaftier MothUdea rubigalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Elegant Grass-veneerMicrocrambus elegans
Hawaiian Beet Webworm MothSpoladea recurvalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Garden Grass-veneerChrysoteuchia culmellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Bluegrass Webworm MothParapediasia teterrellusDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrausta_acrionalis
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.