Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Family (Alpha):
« Home »
View PDFPyralidae Members: Aphomia Members: 13 NC Records

Aphomia terrenella Zeller, 1848 - Terrenella Bee Moth


Aphomia terrenellaAphomia terrenellaAphomia terrenella
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Pyraloidea
Family:
Pyralidae
Subfamily:
Galleriinae
Tribe:
Tirathabini
P3 Number:
80a0050
MONA Number:
5630.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: According to Solis and Metz (2008), the base of the forewing is dark and concolorous with the rest of the wing. The subbasal spot is dark brown, longitudinally elliptical, and extending almost to end of the discal cell. The discal spot is dark brown, narrow, and elongate. In females, while the postmedian line may be absent.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Unlike Aphomia sociella, this species occurs only in North America.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Aphomia terrenellaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Most of our records come from shoreline or riparian habitats but are too few in number to indicate a definite pattern.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae have been found on blueberries and on fungus growing on Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) (Solis and Metz, 2008). - View
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SU
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Aphomia terrenella - Terrenella Bee Moth

Photos: 14
Aphomia terrenellaRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-29
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Aphomia terrenellaRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-29
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Aphomia terrenellaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Aphomia terrenellaRecorded by: David George, Tracy Feldman, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Patrick Coin, Becky Watkins on 2024-06-08
Wake Co.
Comment:
Aphomia terrenellaRecorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-05-18
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Aphomia terrenellaRecorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-05-18
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Aphomia terrenellaRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-13
Orange Co.
Comment:
Aphomia terrenellaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-11
Orange Co.
Comment:
Aphomia terrenellaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-27
Durham Co.
Comment:
Aphomia terrenellaRecorded by: tom ward on 2022-06-02
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Aphomia terrenellaRecorded by: tom ward on 2022-06-02
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Aphomia terrenellaRecorded by: David L. Heavner on 2019-08-11
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Aphomia terrenellaRecorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2019-06-10
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Aphomia terrenellaRecorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2019-06-10
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: