Box tree moth

Description:

Cydalima perspectalis or the box tree moth is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. It is native to eastern Asia (Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, the Russian Far East and India). It is an introduced species in Europe, first recorded in Germany in 2006, and subsequently in Switzerland and the Netherlands in 2007, Great Britain in 2008, France and Austria in 2009, Hungary in 2011, Romania and Turkey. It is also known from Slovakia, Belgium and Croatia. During the preparation to the 2014 Olympics in 2012 it was introduced from Italy to Sochi with the planting stock of Buxus sempervirens and in the next year it began to defoliate Buxus colchica in large quantities. In 2013 it was found new to Denmark at several sites on the island of Sjælland. Eggs are 1 mm in diameter, located under green unattacked leaves. First larvae just coming out from the egg are about 1–2 mm long. Larvae development brings them in four weeks to about 35–40 mm at maximum. There is some shrinkage at the beginning of the nymphosis, pupae are 25–30 mm long, first green with browning longitudinal lines, then more and more brownish. The wingspan of the adult form is 40–45 mm. Two variants are observed, the most common one is mostly white while the other is most entirely light brown. [wikipedia]

Habitat:

The larvae feed on the leaves and shoots of Buxus species. [wikipedia]

Notes:

I found this one in the morning in my bedroom after leaving the windows open all night. A few days later I went to visit the Abbaye of Hautecombes and saw litterally millions of them flying around. According to the monks of that monastery this is going on for several years now, and they get up to 4 cycles of reproduction from early spring with the last one in September.