Pictured: 2024 Box Tree Moth trap set at a production nursery in southeastern Wisconsin. Photo by DATCP’s S. Jentz
The North American trade of ornamental boxwood is under threat from the invasive box tree moth. This pest is rapidly expanding to new areas. It spreads through the movement of infested boxwood plants and via natural spread. The moth naturally spreads up to three to six miles per year.
The insect feeds on and destroys boxwoods, which are the largest-selling evergreen shrub in the U.S. The box tree moth was first detected in the U.S. in New York in 2021. With recent detections in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ohio, and known boxwood imports from these states, surveillance for box tree moth in Wisconsin has become especially important for protecting the market for boxwood, as well as the state’s nursery and landscape industries.
DATCP’s Pest Survey Program conducted surveys for this moth for the first time in 2024, setting traps at five nurseries that grow or import boxwood for public or wholesale purchase in southeastern Wisconsin. DATCP deployed a total of nine traps from mid-June through mid-September. The survey spanned five southeastern Wisconsin counties. All samples have been processed and no box tree moths were detected in 2024.
DATCP plans to continue this survey in 2025, expanding trapping efforts to 10 locations across five counties.
Early detection is key to preventing significant damage, loss, and spread of box tree moths. If you suspect this insect on your boxwoods, please report it to your local nursery inspector or call the Pest Hotline at (866) 440-7523 or email a photo and your location to datcppesthotline@wisconsin.gov.
