Old World webworm
Hellula undalis
The Old World webworm is a small grey-brown moth with wavy markings. It likes warm countries. Its caterpillars are pests that munch on cabbages and turnips.
Lives in
From Europe across Asia to the Pacific, mostly in warm countries
Wingspan
1.8 cm (0.71 in)
aboutCan it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It does not bite or sting, but gardeners do not like it on their cabbages.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillars eat cabbage and turnip plants.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
⚽could fly across a whole football pitch in 40 seconds
How big is Old World webworm compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
Old World webworm about 9.4 km/h (5.8 mph)
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
It was first described from Italy, but it really is a moth of warm, tropical places and only visits Europe now and then.
2
Its front wings have a kidney-shaped mark.
3
Farmers know it as a pest of cabbage and turnip.
you asked
Most asked questions about Old World webworm
?What does the Old World webworm eat?
Its caterpillars eat cabbages and turnips.
?Is the cabbage webworm harmful?
It is harmless to people, but its caterpillars can damage cabbage and turnip crops.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Hellula undalis
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Crambidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Crambidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Asia, Australia and Oceania
- Also known as
- Cabbage webworm
Where the facts come from
- Hellula undalis (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 gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K. 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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