Lepidoptera as insect pests

Lepidoptera are butterflies and moths, the larvae of which have extremely destructive feeding habits. In fact, many of the most destructive agricultural, forest and household pests are caterpillars.

The great majority of Lepidoptera feed on plants, chiefly on the foliage. Most larvae chew up whole leaves, though some, the leaf miners, tunnel into the leaves. Other groups mine under the stems of plants and the barks of trees; species of many families bore into buds or soft, succulent stems.