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Sunflower moth

Homoeosoma electella (often written H. electellum)[4]

The sunflower moth, or head moth, lays its eggs on blooming sunflowers; the larvae eat pollen and florets, then tunnel into the seeds, and it is the most important sunflower pest in Texas. In gardens it also ruins echinacea flowers.[1][2][3]

Group
Insect
Order
Lepidoptera
Family
Pyralidae
US records
27 states
Sources
4 cited
Updated
2026-10-19
Adult sunflower moth resting on siding, a slender, buff-gray moth with long antennae and wings folded tight along its body
Adult sunflower moth resting on siding, a slender, buff-gray moth with long antennae and wings folded tight along its body. Photo: kcthetc1, public domain (CC0), via iNaturalist
On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Where it lives
  3. Biology
  4. Damage and signs
  5. Health risk
  6. Control
  7. Related profiles
  8. Common questions
  9. Sources

How to identify it

  • Adults are small, slender, silver to buff-gray moths about 1/2 to 5/8 inch long, often seen resting on sunflower heads in early morning and evening during bloom.[1][2]
  • Newly hatched larvae are pale yellow; older ones turn brown or purplish with light stripes running lengthwise and reach about 3/4 inch.[1][3]
  • Infested heads look trashy, with webbing across the face of the head.[1]

Where it lives

It is a pest of field sunflowers from Texas to Nebraska, and UMass Extension describes the same caterpillar damaging garden echinacea and sunflowers.[1][2][3]

US map: public records from 27 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Moths are drawn to plants just starting to bloom; nearly 80 percent of eggs are laid within 4 to 7 days after the buds open, and they hatch in 1 to 3 days.[1][2]

Young larvae feed on pollen and florets for about 5 to 6 days, then tunnel into the seeds; a single larva can destroy up to 12 seeds over its 15 to 19 days of feeding.[1][3]

Most full-grown larvae drop to the ground on silk threads and pupate in crevices or under leaf litter, and some larvae spend the winter underground.[3]

In Texas, infestations are heaviest when early-planted fields bloom in May and June, with a smaller flight later in the season.[1]

Damage and signs

  • Larvae destroy seeds and head tissue, and their feeding can open heads to head rot; in gardens, infested echinacea flowers fade fast and set no seed heads.[1][3]

Health risk

It feeds only on plants; Texas A&M, Nebraska and UMass Extension mention no risk to people.[1][2][3]

Control

Prevention

In Nebraska, sunflowers planted after June 1 usually escape the main moth flight.[2]

Biological control

On garden flowers, Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki can be used on young larvae before they tunnel into the seeds.[3]

Pesticides

For field sunflowers, Texas A&M says insecticides should go on when 15 to 25 percent of plants are blooming and moths are in the field, a narrow window because bloom moves fast; Nebraska notes pyrethroids can help protect the heads.[1][2]

Common questions

What is eating the centers of my echinacea and sunflowers?
Possibly sunflower moth caterpillars, which feed on the florets and then tunnel into the developing seeds.[3][1]
When are sunflower moths active?
During bloom: moths lay most of their eggs within a week after buds open, so that's the time to watch.[1][2]

Sources

  1. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, “Sunflowers, E-579 (insect pests of sunflower).” extensionentomology.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/E-579-Sunflowers.pdf (accessed 2026-10-19)
  2. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, “Sunflower Head Moth Outbreak is Coming On Strong (CropWatch, July 26, 2012).” cropwatch.unl.edu/sunflower-head-moth-outbreak-coming-strong-unl-cropwatch-july-26-2012 (accessed 2026-10-19)
  3. UMass Extension Greenhouse Crops and Floriculture Program, “Sunflower Moth Caterpillar.” www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/greenhouse-floriculture/photos/sunflower-moth-caterpillar (accessed 2026-10-19)
  4. iNaturalist, “Homoeosoma electella taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/343382 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-19. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.