European-invasive

Guides

• Hyphantria cunea

  Fall Webworm, Fall Webworm Moth, American White Moth

  The fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea) is a moth native to North America, ranging from southern Canada through the United States to northern Mexico. It is best known for its larval stage, in which caterpillars construct large silken webs on the terminal branches of host trees during late summer and fall. The species exhibits two color races that vary geographically: white moths with black-headed caterpillars predominate in northern populations, while spotted moths with red-headed caterpillars are more common in the south. Accidentally introduced to Hungary in the 1940s, it has become a destructive invasive pest across Europe and Asia, particularly in China where it is known as the 'North American White Moth.'

  defoliatorweb-forming-caterpillarinvasive-speciesnative-pestpolyphagousfreeze-avoiderthermoregulationbiological-control-targethazelnut-pestmulberry-pesturban-pestornamental-pestforest-pestagricultural-pestgregarious-larvaesilken-webNorth-American-nativeEuropean-invasiveAsian-invasiveviral-biocontrolparasitoid-hosthyperparasitism