Knapweed root moth
The knapweed root moth is a small, bright yellow moth with brown patches on its wings. Its caterpillar lives inside the roots of knapweed plants. People in America use it as a helper to stop knapweed weeds from spreading.
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Fun facts
A grown-up moth lives for only a few days.
Since the 1980s people have released it in the United States to fight knapweed weeds.
It only eats knapweed and has not been found to harm other plants.
It flies from May to August, starting at dusk, and comes to lights.
Most asked questions about Knapweed root moth
?Why was the knapweed root moth brought to America?
To help control knapweed, a weed that spreads fast. Its caterpillars eat the knapweed roots.
?How big is the knapweed root moth?
It is about 11 millimetres long.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Agapeta zoegana
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Tortricidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Tortricidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Asia, North America
- Also known as
- Sulphur knapweed moth, Yellow-winged knapweed root moth
Where the facts come from
- Agapeta zoegana (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Kulac. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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