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Sticker of Diamondback moth
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Diamondback moth

Plutella xylostella
Eats: PlantsMothsGardens and meadows6 legs

The diamondback moth is a tiny grey and brown moth. When it folds its wings, a pale wavy stripe can make diamond shapes along its back. It is small, but farmers know it well, because its caterpillars love cabbage.

Lives in
Almost all over the world, wherever cabbage grows
Length
6 mm (0.24 in)
Wingspan
1.5 cm (0.59 in)
Top speed
about 8.6 km/h (5.3 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless to people. It only bothers cabbage plants.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillars eat the leaves of cabbage and its relatives, like broccoli and cauliflower.
For real!Photo of Diamondback moth
Picture by Please report references to olei@despammed.com .. CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Diamondback moth about 6 mm long (0.24 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)

How wide are its wings?

Diamondback moth wings about 1.5 cm tip to tip (0.59 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)
small enough to sit on your fingernailcould fly across a whole football pitch in 44 secondsmoves 400 times its own body length every second

How big is Diamondback moth compared to YOU?

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How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Some experts think it lives in more places on Earth than any other moth or butterfly.

2

From egg to grown-up moth can take only about 14 days when it is warm.

3

It can fly very long distances.

4

The mother moth tastes and smells a leaf before she lays her eggs on it.

5

Many bug sprays no longer work on it, so farmers look for other clever ways to protect their cabbages.

you asked

Most asked questions about Diamondback moth

?What does the diamondback moth eat?

Its caterpillars eat cabbage leaves and the leaves of related plants like broccoli.

?Why is it called the diamondback moth?

A pale stripe on its back can form diamond shapes when it folds its wings.

?How big is the diamondback moth?

It is tiny: its body is about 6 millimetres long and its wings about 15 millimetres across.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Plutella xylostella
Group
Moths
Family
Plutellidae
Classification
Insecta > Lepidoptera > Plutellidae
Lives on
Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia and Oceania
Also known as
Cabbage moth

Where the facts come from

  1. Diamondback moth (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Please report references to olei@despammed.com .. CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@bugwiki.app and we will fix it.

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