Pest profile

European Pepper Moth

Duponchelia fovealis · Lepidoptera: Crambidae[2]

European pepper moth is an invasive moth recorded on more than 70 host plants, found mainly in greenhouses and containers.[1]

European pepper moth, a brown and white moth with banded abdomen curled upward, on a white surface
European pepper moth, a brown and white moth with banded abdomen curled upward, on a white surface. Photo: kcthetc1, public domain (CC0), via iNaturalist

How to identify it

  • The adult has a wingspan just under an inch and is brown and white, with a backward bend in the hindmost white wing line.[1]
  • Males have white rings around a long abdomen that they hold curled up at rest.[1]
  • Larvae grow to about an inch, with a dark head and creamy to brown bodies with dark spots.[1]

Where it lives

Native to southern Europe and North Africa, it was found in 15 US states by the 2012 fact sheet, after a 2010 rediscovery.[1]

US map: public records from 21 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Larvae prefer moist spots and feed on debris as well as live plants, pupating in a messy cocoon of silk and soil.[1]

At 68 degrees F the cycle takes about six weeks, allowing seven or eight generations a year in heated greenhouses.[1]

Damage and signs

  • Young larvae make round or crescent holes in leaves; older ones eat whole leaves, feed below the soil, or bore into and girdle stems.[1]

Health risk

It feeds on plants; UK Extension mentions no risk to people.[1]

Control

Prevention

Remove debris and lower leaves and use drier growing media to cut the moist habitat larvae favor.[1]

Keep them out

Inspect new plants, pots and soil surfaces for webbing and chewing, and keep new stock isolated when possible.[1]

Biological control

Bt, insect-killing nematodes, Trichogramma wasps and predatory mites are commercially available natural enemies for European pepper moth.[1]

Common questions

What's chewing my potted plants down at the soil line?
European pepper moth larvae can feed below the soil surface and girdle stems, mostly on container plants.[1]
Is European pepper moth only a pepper pest?
No; it's been recorded on more than 70 host species.[1]

Sources

  1. University of Kentucky Entomology (ENTFACT), “European Pepper Moth (ENTFACT-324).” entomology.mgcafe.uky.edu/ef324 (accessed 2026-10-06)
  2. iNaturalist, “Duponchelia fovealis taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/371745 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-14. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.