The invasive insect is spreading across the state, and the Ohio Department of Agriculture is fighting back by expanding its quarantine in the Buckeye State.
Official Development Assistance (ODA) announced on January 30 that the number of Ohio counties under quarantine due to box moth has doubled. The quarantine area has been expanded to include counties where box moths are newly discovered between May and October 2025.
According to ODA, the box moth was first detected in Ohio in June 2023 near the border of Hamilton and Clermont counties in southwestern Ohio. Now they have expanded north, with many new quarantine counties along Lake Erie.
So what does it mean for a county to quarantine for box moth? Which counties are quarantined for invasive insects? Here’s what to know.
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What is a box moth?
box moth (Blue and white salamanderNative to temperate and subtropical climates in Asia, it poses a threat to boxwood cultivation and the Ohio horticulture industry, according to the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Its caterpillars can kill boxwood shrubs by feeding heavily. A heavy infestation will cause the plant to lose its leaves.
Adult boxwood moths are white with a brown border and are highly mobile, according to the ODA. They are usually active at dusk and throughout the night. The larvae are green and yellow with white, yellow and black stripes and black spots. They start feeding in March and continue until they pupate in late April or early May.
Evidence of damage includes chewed, cut, or missing leaves, yellowing or browning of leaves, white bands, and greenish-black excrement on or around the plant. They pose no threat to Ohio’s native plants.
Which Ohio counties are currently quarantined for boxwood moth?
Preble, Clark, Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Lorain, Lake and Lucas counties have been added to Ohio’s existing box moth quarantine areas. The initial quarantine includes Miami, Montgomery, Greene, Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties.
ODA expanded the box moth quarantine area to include:
These counties joined the original segregated area in southwestern Ohio. These counties are:
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What does box moth quarantine mean?
The quarantine will allow ODA to limit the movement of boxwood shrubs. According to ODA guidance, box moth quarantine counties cannot move the following items outside the quarantine boundary:
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Any living form of box moth.
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Whole plants, plant parts and seedlings of the genus Buxus Buxus. This includes all living and dead materials or materials related to Buxus plant.
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Other products or items that may be infested or susceptible to box moth infestation.
Producers who ship seedlings from regulated to unregulated areas must have their inventories inspected and each shipment must be accompanied by a certificate that their products are free of box moth.
Boxwood moths can cause damage to boxwood plants, which are commonly found outside homes and other buildings.
What is a boxwood shrub?
Boxwood is one of the most common and oldest landscaping plants in the United States, according to Buckeye Yard and Garden Online, the Ohio State University Extension blog. Citing the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the blog said boxwood cultivation records date back to the 1700s and that Ohio nursery boxwood inventories are worth more than $200 million.
According to the blog, box moth damage is limited to boxwood. This moth has only been found feeding on boxwood in North America, although it may have some other hosts in its native Asia. Signs of moth damage include leaves being chewed, cut or missing; leaves turning yellow or brown; white webbing and greenish-black excrement on or around the plants, according to ODA.
Spotted box moth? How to report an infection in Ohio
If you spot boxwood moth or suspect an infestation, the Ohio Department of Agriculture asks that you take photos and report the discovery to ODA Plant Pest Control using the Ohio Plant Pest Reporter. ODA also requires that you collect moth samples for laboratory confirmation. Place the moth or caterpillar in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator until ODA staff pick up the specimen.
This article originally appeared in the Akron Beacon Journal: Ohio expands invasive box moth quarantine. Where, what does it mean?
