CINCINNATI — Four counties in the Greater Cincinnati region and two in the Dayton area are under a quarantine to prevent the spread of an invasive moth that can destroy a kind of shrub popular in the region.
The box tree moth is originally native to regions in Asia, according to the Ohio Department of Agriculture, which issued the quarantine for Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, Warren, Greene and Montgomery counties. That quarantine began April 11.
In 2007, the moth was found in Europe and then spread rapidly from there, with infestations discovered in Canada in 2018. A Canadian nursery discovered the moth in its facility in the spring of 2021 before it was located in New York and Michigan in 2022.
ODA says the moth was first found in the Buckeye State in June of 2023, when it was specifically reported in southwest Ohio.
Now counties under the quarantine have new regulations in place to restrict the movement of boxwood shrubs, which the moths use to lay their eggs.
Under those restrictions, people cannot transport any boxwood shrubs from within a quarantined county to any area not under a quarantine.
The version of box tree moth sighted in Ohio has had white, slightly iridescent wings with an irregular thick, brown border.
Female box tree moths lay pale, yellow eggs that hatch within four to six days; then, the larvae begin feeding on the boxwood plants, eating their leaves until early May.
Those caterpillars are green and yellow with white, yellow and black stripes and black spots. Once larvae have developed, they spin webs that hold leaves in the shrub together and create a protective area for feeding; larvae remain active through the summer until early autumn, ODA says.
Residents can look for and report any signs of infestation by following these steps:
- Familiarize yourself with the insect’s appearance and signs of damage on boxwood shrubs.
- Check any boxwood plants you have for signs of box tree moth life stages.
- If you find any signs of infestation, take a picture, and report it.
Signs of feeding from the moths include chewed, cut or missing leaves, yellowing or brown leaves, white webbing and green-black excrement on or around the plant.
According to the ODA, boxwood leaves that were protected by snow or other windbreaks may stay green, but exposed parts of the plant will die if infested with box tree moth larvae.
Heavy infestations of box tree moth caterpillars can result in an entire shrub becoming defoliated, leaving behind bare branches and no leaves on the ground, ODA says.
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