Bug FAQSpring Cankerworm Moth
Paleacrita vernata · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Geometridae
Also called: spring cankerworm
Source: Wikipedia
The larvae feed on leaves of many deciduous trees such as maple, elm, birch, cherry, and oak, and can strip a tree of foliage. Adult males fly from February through May, while females are wingless and stay on the tree to lay eggs.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Paleacrita vernata belongs to the Geometridae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Male forewings measure 11 to 18 mm in length. Females have no wings at all.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
They hang by silk threads and can climb back up the tree if wind dislodges them.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
Homeowners commonly wrap sticky bands around tree trunks to trap the climbing adults as they ascend to lay eggs.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives across North America from the Atlantic coast to Alberta, Texas and California.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The caterpillars feed on a variety of deciduous trees and shrubs, especially maple, elm, birch, cherry and oak.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Eggs hatch into inch-long worms that chew leaves and can defoliate a tree.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adult males are on the wing from February to late May.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 38 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Kansas, Ohio.
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 do I control spring cankerworms?
Wrap sticky bands around the trunks of affected trees to catch the adults as they climb upward.
Source: Wikipedia
When are adult spring cankerworms active?
Adult males are active from February through late May.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Geometridae)
Willow BeautyPeribatodes rhomboidaria
Pale BeautyCampaea perlataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Lace-border MothScopula limboundataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Riband WaveIdaea aversata
Yellow Shell MothCamptogramma bilineata
Large Maple Spanworm MothProchoerodes lineolaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleacrita_vernata
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.