Tortricidae

49.324 Pea Moth Cydia nigricana (Fabricius, 1794)

Common

Similar species:

Forewing: 5.5 to 7.5mm

Habitats: Grasslands, open woodland, coastal slopes, wasteground, pea fields and gardens.

Habits: The moth flies during afternoon and evening sunshine and visits pea flowers at dusk. It occasionally comes to light.

Foodplant: The larva lives in the pods and feeds on the developing seeds of vetches, Sweet Pea, Garden Pea and occasionally Broad Bean and Lupins. It moves from pea to pea, often spinning them with frass covered silk. The full-fed larva bores through the pod and drops to the ground, where it buries into the soil and overwinters in a spinning. In May it pupates in the winter spinning unless it is buried deep, then it may come to the surface before pupating.