Bug FAQAcorn Moth
Blastobasis glandulella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Blastobasidae
The acorn moth has a wingspan of about 15 to 25 mm. Adults fly from April through September and the larvae develop inside acorns and chestnuts.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The name “acorn moth” can also refer to the European tortrix moth Cydia splendana.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan ranges from 15 to 25 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Records also exist from California.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed inside acorns and chestnuts.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from April to September.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
They are active from April through September.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It can be confused with the European tortrix moth Cydia splendana, which shares the common name “acorn moth”.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 39 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, California, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where can I find acorn moths?
They occur in the eastern United States, southern Ontario, and have also been recorded in California.
Source: Wikipedia
What other bug is called the acorn moth?
The European tortrix moth Cydia splendana is also called the acorn moth.
Source: Wikipedia
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blastobasis_glandulella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.