Pandora Pinemoth (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles The Pandora Pinemoth or Pandora Moth, Coloradia pandora, is an insect belonging to the Coloradia genus of moths. It is native to the western United States. The larvae of the Pandora Moth feed on the foliage of several species of pine trees, including the lodgepole, Jeffrey, and ponderosa pines. The larvae populations sometimes reach high enough levels to cause severe defoliation; such outbreaks have occurred in northern Arizona, central Oregon, and southern California. The Paiute people in California's Owens Valley and Mono Lake areas harvest, prepare, and store the Pinemoth larvae (which they call piuga) as a preferred food. This has brought the natives into conflict with the United States Forest Service, which has sought to control Pinemoth populations through the use of insecticides.