General Remarks:
A widespread and common species, likely to affect almost all mature Lombardy and Black Poplars. Hornet Clearwing is perhaps the easiest of the group to find - one simply looks for emergence holes at the base of poplar trees to record a past presence and either protruding pupae or newly emerged adults on the trunks to determine a current population. Presumably once confined to native Black Poplar trees, the moth has evidently adapted well to the Lombardy Poplar, a hybrid variety that was introduced to Britain in 1758.

Hertfordshire Notes: In 1916, Foster noted the Hornet Clearwing as 'not uncommon in north Herts', but gave no details and only three former localities in the north of the county have been traced. Later, in the 1937 list, Foster added Watford and Colney Heath, without any dates. Present-day records seem to be concentrated in the east of the county. It is worth commenting that although this species is widespread, it is nevertheless potentially threatened in Hertfordshire by the misguided felling of affected trees on grounds of safety. With this in mind it is worth pointing out that the larvae feed between the bark and the wood on the cambium of the bark and do not affect the timber of the trunk. Consequently, it does not weaken the tree nor render it unsafe

Middlesex Notes: Local, but affected trees usually support large numbers of this moth. Observers need to watch affected trees at around 7am, before the newly emerged moths disperse to the tree tops.

Recorded in 28 (68%) of 41 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1893. Last Recorded in 2024. Additional Stats

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