Southern Pine Coneworm Moth

Dioryctria amatella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pyralidae

Also called: Southern Pine Coneworm

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Southern Pine Coneworm Moth
Photo: David Dodd, CC BY

The southern pine coneworm moth has a wingspan of about 27 to 32 mm. It lives in the southeastern United States, from Maryland down through Florida and west to Texas. Adults appear from early April to early November, with one to four generations each year.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Wingspan ranges from 27 mm to 32 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Adults are on the wing from early April through early November.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Native to the southeastern United States, covering Maryland, Florida, and Texas.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 15 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, South Carolina.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in United States. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Southern Pine Coneworm Moth photo 2
Photo: David Dodd, CC BY
Southern Pine Coneworm Moth photo 3
Photo: Paul Bedell, CC BY-SA
Southern Pine Coneworm Moth photo 4
Photo: Annika Lindqvist, CC BY
Southern Pine Coneworm Moth photo 5
Photo: Laura Gaudette, CC BY

Questions people ask

When can I see adult southern pine coneworm moths?

Adults are active from early April to early November.

Source: Wikipedia

How many generations does this moth have each year?

It can produce one to four generations annually.

Source: Wikipedia

Where is this moth found?

It occurs in the southeastern United States, from Maryland down to Florida and west to Texas.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Pyralidae)

Indian-Meal MothIndian-Meal MothPlodia interpunctellaCan damage your homeGreater Wax MothGreater Wax MothGalleria mellonellaMediterranean Flour MothMediterranean Flour MothEphestia kuehniellaCan damage your homeMeal mothMeal mothPyralis farinalisDamages trees, gardens or cropsBee MothBee MothAphomia sociellaNuisance, not dangerousYellow-fringed Dolichomia MothYellow-fringed Dolichomia MothHypsopygia olinalis

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioryctria_amatella

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.