Light brown apple moth
Originally from Australia, this small moth now feeds on more than 500 plant species and has spread to New Zealand, Hawaii, California and Europe.
| Where | Gardens, orchards and farmland |
|---|---|
| Size | 16 to 25 mm wingspan |
| When | April to November |
It is a small, light brown moth with variable darker brown mottling across the forewings, and females tend to be larger and plainer than males, with a wingspan of roughly 16 to 25 mm.
The green, leaf-rolling caterpillars draw leaves together with silk to feed and shelter inside, and with several generations possible in a year they can damage a very wide range of garden and orchard plants.
Traits
Habitat
Garden
Colour
Brown
Active
Night
To people
Garden and orchard pest on a wide range of plants
Activity through the year
Often confused with
The summer fruit tortrix is smaller still, with a wingspan of about 17 to 22 mm, and its larvae cause very similar leaf-rolling damage on fruit trees.
Questions
Is the Light brown apple moth dangerous to people?
Garden and orchard pest on a wide range of plants.
When can you see the Light brown apple moth?
The Light brown apple moth can be seen from April to November, at night.
Plate retouched from a photo by Ben Sale from UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons Licence
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Butterflies and moths›Tortrix moths›Epiphyas
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.