Identifying ECB Moths to Sex

The adult female is a creamy, yellowish-brown moth approximately 0.75 inches long and about 0.5 inches wide in the resting stage. The wings of the female are usually lighter in color than those of the male. Both sexes have thread like antennae. The abdomen of the FEMALE does not extend beyond the wings at rest and is usually thicker than male’s because of developing eggs. The darker male has a long slender body and is slightly smaller than the female. The MALE’s abdomen extends beyond the closed wings at rest and is usually tufted at the tip.

The Minn. Extension IPM Program is a collaboration of University of Minnesota Extension & the College of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS).