spruce budworm
noun
: a tortricid moth (Choristoneura fumiferana) whose larva feeds on evergreen trees (such as spruce and balsam fir) in the northern U.S. and Canada
also
: a related moth (C. occidentalis) of the northwestern U.S. and adjacent Canada
Examples of spruce budworm in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In its caterpillar form, the spruce budworm eats away at the needles of white spruce and balsam fir.
—
Jimmy Lovrien, Twin Cities, 23 May 2025
The type of tree most affected was the Western spruce budworm, which incurred 217,000 acres of injury in 2024, as opposed to 202,000 acres in 2023, per the report.
—Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 8 Apr. 2025
Isle Royale moose are suffering from malnutrition because their primary winter food sources, balsam fir saplings, are infested with spruce budworms.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 June 2023
Hundreds of thousands of acres of balsam fir trees north of Duluth have either died or are struggling to fight off a bloom of a pest called spruce budworm.
—Greg Stanley, Star Tribune, 26 June 2021
One of the major uses of DDT was controlling insect outbreaks, like spruce budworm, in conifer forests across North America.
—Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 15 June 2019
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Jimmy Lovrien, Twin Cities, 23 May 2025
The type of tree most affected was the Western spruce budworm, which incurred 217,000 acres of injury in 2024, as opposed to 202,000 acres in 2023, per the report.
—Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 8 Apr. 2025
Isle Royale moose are suffering from malnutrition because their primary winter food sources, balsam fir saplings, are infested with spruce budworms.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 June 2023
Hundreds of thousands of acres of balsam fir trees north of Duluth have either died or are struggling to fight off a bloom of a pest called spruce budworm.
—Greg Stanley, Star Tribune, 26 June 2021
One of the major uses of DDT was controlling insect outbreaks, like spruce budworm, in conifer forests across North America.
—Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 15 June 2019
Cite this Entry
“Spruce budworm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spruce%20budworm. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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