Box tree moth: where it is regulated in the United States and Canada
What USDA APHIS and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency say about box tree moth rules, which states and provinces are listed, what boxwood material is covered, and the date on each page.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 8, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. Box tree moth is a caterpillar that feeds on boxwood shrubs (Buxus). The guide to tree pests and diseases covers the wider list of pests that agencies track.
Status by country
| Country | Status and what is covered | Agency and date on its page |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Federal quarantines in listed states. Boxwood plants, parts, cuttings, clippings and debris are the regulated articles in the federal order read for this page. | USDA APHIS. Page modified October 7, 2026; order read dated July 21, 2025. |
| Canada | A regulated pest. Movement restrictions for boxwood shrubs apply under a Ministerial Order. | Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Page modified June 19, 2025. |
| United Kingdom | No official status page found on October 8, 2026. | Not stated. |
| Ireland | No official status page found on October 8, 2026. | Not stated. |
| Australia | No official status page found on October 8, 2026. | Not stated. |
| New Zealand | No official status page found on October 8, 2026. | Not stated. |
United States
The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service says on its box tree moth page that the moth was first detected in New York in 2021 and has since been confirmed in Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. The page lists two later quarantine actions: an August 2026 notice (DA-2026-24) establishing a quarantine in Maryland and Pennsylvania, and an October 2026 notice (DA-2026-44) expanding the quarantine in New Jersey. It links a regulated-areas document dated October 1, 2026 and a federal quarantine boundary viewer for the county lines, and it says APHIS and state agencies work to restrict boxwood movement where the pest is found.
The wording of the rule comes from a federal order. The APHIS order DA-2025-29, dated July 21, 2025, says boxwood plants may move interstate from a quarantined area only from an establishment operating under a compliance agreement, and only with a certificate from a state agricultural authority. It prohibits movement of all other regulated articles of boxwood, including plant parts, pieces, cuttings, clippings and debris, alive or dead, except for decorative purposes. State agricultural authorities may add their own safeguards.
| State | Quarantined area in the July 21, 2025 order |
|---|---|
| Delaware | The entire state |
| Massachusetts | The entire state |
| Michigan | Clinton, Eaton, Ingham, Jackson, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne counties |
| New York | 34 named counties, from Allegany and Broome to Wyoming and Yates |
| Ohio | Butler, Clermont, Greene, Hamilton, Miami, Montgomery and Warren counties |
| Pennsylvania | Erie County |
That order is dated, and the APHIS page lists later notices for Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, so the county lines on the APHIS boundary viewer are the ones to read for any job.
Canada
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says on its box tree moth page that the moth is a regulated pest in Canada and is found only on boxwood shrubs. It names Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island as the regulated areas, and it says box tree moth was confirmed on residential properties in Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in the summer of 2023 and at a residence in Prince Edward Island in the summer of 2024.
The page says a Ministerial Order under the Plant Protection Act, established in July 2023, supports enforcement of movement restrictions for boxwood shrubs, and that those six provinces are declared places infested with the moth. It also says Buxus plants for planting may move freely within and between those provinces. It asks for reports from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, and it names a biological pesticide containing Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki as a control for feeding larvae.
Where to read more
For another moth with rules in both the United States and Canada see spongy moth by country, and for how wood and plant material travels see moving wood and firewood.