Bug FAQRusty Pine Cone Moth
Dioryctria disclusa · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pyralidae
Also called: Webbing Coneworm Moth
Source: Wikipedia
The rusty pine cone moth has a wingspan of roughly 24 mm. It lives across North America from the Atlantic provinces down to Florida and west to Texas and up into Manitoba. Its caterpillars feed on loblolly pine, making it a pest of that tree species.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure about 24 mm across the wings.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
You can find this moth in many parts of North America, from eastern Canada to the southern United States and westward to Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae eat the foliage of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes the eastern and central regions of North America, extending from New Brunswick to Florida and north to Manitoba.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
There are no other listed species that are commonly confused with this moth.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 28 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Mississippi, Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, Minnesota.
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
Are there any bugs that look like the rusty pine cone moth?
No other species are listed as look-alikes for this moth.
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/Dioryctria_disclusa
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.