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Sticker of Fruit-tree leafroller moth
Bug card No. 1779 of 4,939

Fruit-tree leafroller moth

Archips argyrospila
Eats: PlantsMothsGardens and meadows6 legs

The fruit-tree leafroller moth is a small moth from North America. Its caterpillars are very hungry and not fussy at all. They nibble on apple and pear trees, so fruit growers keep a close eye on them.

Lives in
Most of the United States and southern Canada
Top speed
about 14 km/h (8.7 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless to people. It cannot bite or sting, it only nibbles leaves as a caterpillar.
What does it eat?
The caterpillars eat the leaves of many plants, from apple, pear and oak trees to grapes, beans and rhubarb.
For real!Photo of Fruit-tree leafroller moth
Picture by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Each front wing is only about 1 centimetre long. The females are a little bigger than the males.

2

The moths fly from the middle of May to July, and there is only one family of young each year.

3

Its caterpillars eat so many different plants that the list includes trees, berries, onions, oats and even citrus trees.

4

Farmers call it a pest because the caterpillars damage apple and pear trees.

you asked

Most asked questions about Fruit-tree leafroller moth

?What does the fruit-tree leafroller eat?

Its caterpillars eat leaves of many plants, including apple, pear, oak, grape and rhubarb.

?Is the fruit-tree leafroller moth dangerous?

Not to people. It is harmless, but its caterpillars can damage fruit trees.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Archips argyrospila
Group
Moths
Family
Tortricidae
Classification
Insecta > Lepidoptera > Tortricidae
Lives on
North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Archips argyrospila (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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