Bug FAQPandora Pinemoth
Coloradia pandora · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Saturniidae
Also called: Pandora Moth
Pandora pinemoths are native to the western United States and their larvae feed on the needles of several pine species. They produce one generation every two years; larvae stay on the tree through winter, drop in summer to pupate underground, and adults emerge in late June. Native peoples harvest the larvae for food, while forest managers sometimes use insecticides to limit their numbers.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The Pandora pinemoth belongs to the moth genus Coloradia.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
The Paiute people harvest and store the larvae as a traditional food. The U.S. Forest Service has used insecticides to try to control moth populations, leading to conflict with native harvesters.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
The caterpillars eat the foliage of lodgepole, Jeffrey, and ponderosa pines.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on the needles of several pine species.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Pandora moths are semivoltine, producing a new generation every two years. During winter the larvae remain on the tree, continuing to feed on its foliage. In the following summer they drop to the ground, burrow and pupate for a year or, in some areas, up to four years before emerging as adults.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adult moths appear around the end of June and lay eggs that hatch in August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 15 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Oregon, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Texas, Wyoming.
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 long does the Pandora pinemoth’s development take?
They develop over two years, with larvae feeding on pine needles in winter and pupating underground the next summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Do people eat Pandora pinemoth larvae?
Yes, the Paiute harvest the larvae and store them as a preferred food.
Source: Wikipedia
How are forest managers trying to control Pandora pinemoth numbers?
They have applied insecticides to reduce moth populations, which has caused conflict with native harvesters.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Saturniidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandora_moth
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.