Bug FAQSpruce Budworm Moth
Choristoneura fumiferana · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Tortricidae
Also called: Spruce Budworm
Source: Wikipedia
The eastern spruce budworm is a moth native to eastern North America that lives in spruce-fir forests. Its caterpillars eat the needles of spruce and fir, causing serious damage to those trees, especially during large outbreaks. Control methods are being studied, and several theories try to explain why outbreaks happen cyclically.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Choristoneura fumiferana, called the eastern spruce budworm, belongs to the moth family Tortricidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
Large budworm epidemics periodically erupt in northern and eastern Canadian spruce-fir forests.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
Various control methods are used to manage outbreaks. Several theories are being studied to explain the cyclical nature of budworm outbreaks.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives in boreal and sub-boreal spruce-fir forests. Its range matches the distribution of spruce and fir trees across eastern Canada and the eastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Birds specialize in eating budworms during their breeding season.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
First-instar caterpillars make hibernacula in flower bracts or under bark, then molt to second instar and overwinter without feeding. From June to July, larvae in later instars eat current-year shoots and then older foliage, causing most of the damage after the sixth instar.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults do not disperse when temperatures are below 14 °C or above 30 °C.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 33 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Colorado, Wisconsin, Illinois.
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
How does the spruce budworm damage trees?
The caterpillars eat the needles and shoots of spruce and fir, stripping foliage and harming the trees.
Source: Wikipedia
When are spruce budworm outbreaks most severe?
Outbreaks peak in June and July when larval numbers are highest.
Source: Wikipedia
What habitats does the spruce budworm prefer?
It prefers boreal and sub-boreal spruce-fir forests across eastern North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Are there control methods for spruce budworm?
Yes, several control methods are employed, and researchers study why outbreaks occur cyclically.
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/Choristoneura_fumiferana
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.