Bug FAQRed-striped Needleworm Moth
Epinotia radicana · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Tortricidae
Also called: Red-striped Needleworm
Source: Wikipedia
The red-striped needleworm moth (Epinotia radicana) is a small tortricid with a wingspan of about 12 to 15 mm. Its larvae overwinter on needles and then eat the fresh foliage of a wide range of spruce, fir, pine, larch and other conifers, which can harm trees in spruce-fir forests.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Epinotia radicana, the red-striped needleworm moth, belongs to the family Tortricidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults have a wingspan of roughly 12 to 15 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is commonly found in spruce-fir forests across North America.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae have been recorded eating the needles of many conifers such as firs, spruces, pines, larches, junipers, cedars and hemlocks.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults emerge in late summer and fall, and females lay single eggs at the base of needles.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adult moths appear in late summer and continue into the fall.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 12 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Washington, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Vermont, Minnesota, Alaska.
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
Which trees are affected by the red-striped needleworm moth?
Its larvae feed on the new needles of many conifers, including firs, spruces, pines, larches, junipers, cedars and hemlocks.
Source: Wikipedia
When do the larvae feed?
Larvae eat the fresh foliage from late May through late July.
Source: Wikipedia
When can I see the adult moths?
Adults emerge in late summer and persist into the fall.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Tortricidae)
Oblique-banded Leafroller MothChoristoneura rosaceanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Garden TortrixClepsis peritanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common MarbleSyricoris lacunanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Red-banded Leafroller MothArgyrotaenia velutinanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Light Brown Apple MothEpiphyas postvittanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Aster and Reddish Eucosma Moths and AlliesEucosma parmatanaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epinotia_radicana
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.