The tea bagworm is an East Asian bagworm moth whose caterpillar builds a cylindrical case covered with bits of twig and leaf stalk laid lengthwise. Females have no wings or legs and spend their whole lives inside the case; only males become flying moths. It lives in Korea, Japan, and China and isn't found in the United States.
Appearance
- Appearance
- Males have a wingspan of about 1 in (23–27 mm) and dark brown wings. Females are about 3/4 in (15–20 mm) long, wingless and legless, and stay hidden in the case.
Look-alikes
The Paulownia bagworm's case is spindle-shaped, bulging in the middle, mostly covered with leaf pieces, and reaches about 2 in (5 cm). The tea bagworm's case is a slimmer cylinder of twigs and leaf stalks laid lengthwise.
Why they get mixed upBoth are bagworms of the same genus found on garden trees in Korea and Japan.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- gardens
- street trees
- tea fields
- Range
- Native to Korea, Japan, and China. It isn't known from the United States.
Behavior
- Diet
- The caterpillars feed on the leaves of many kinds of trees and shrubs, including tea, persimmon, and cherry. In Japan it is listed as a pest of tea and other crops.
- Overwintering
- Caterpillars spend the winter inside their cases, fastened to a twig.
Life cycle
- Larva
- The case grows to about 1–1 1/2 in (23–40 mm) long. Newly hatched caterpillars leave the mother's case and drift off on the wind before building cases of their own.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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