Bug FAQPromethea Silkmoth
Callosamia promethea · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Saturniidae
Also called: Prometheus Silkmoth, Spicebush Silkmoth
The Promethea silkmoth has a wingspan of about 3 to 4 inches (76-102 mm). It lives in deciduous forests across the eastern United States, from the Atlantic coast west to the Great Plains. Adults do not eat, and the caterpillars feed on host trees before pupating on branches during winter.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from 3 to 4 inches (76-102 mm).
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
Caterpillars may live on many tree species but are not reported to cause noticeable damage, and the species is not endangered nor subject to specific management.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
No specific control measures are needed because the species is not endangered and does not cause significant problems.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It inhabits forests, especially deciduous woodlands, in the eastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adult Promethea silkmoths do not feed.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Eggs hatch into caterpillars that feed on host trees, then pupate while hanging from branches during winter.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Males are active during the day and females at night; in the north there is one brood in early summer, while in the south there are two broods, one in spring and another in late summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Male Promethea silkmoths mimic the poisonous pipe-vine swallowtail butterfly.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 36 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Virginia, Michigan, New Jersey.
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
Same family (Saturniidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callosamia_promethea
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.