The latter may be absent, with the moth appearing uniformly light brown, as in the females, which have only slightly darker oblique markings distinguishing the area at the tip of the wing.

In March 2007 the moth was positively identified in California by DNA samples across hundreds of miles, from Los Angeles to Napa, north of San Francisco.

Normally, the rate of larval development is slowed considerably during the winter, particularly when temperatures approach freezing; thus the majority of larvae over-winter in the prolonged early juvenile phases of the second third, and fourth instars.

[4] The insect is regarded as an herbivorous generalist, and the larvae feed on numerous horticultural crops in Australia and New Zealand, where they have limited natural predators.

The late stage larvae feed on all leaf tissue except main veins, and can often be found tunneling into berry fruits such as strawberries and caneberries.

[9] The species has been classified as a noxious insect in the United States and Canada, leading to restrictions on produce from counties with substantial populations.

Historically, the most abundant parasitoid has been the braconid wasp Dolichogenidea tasmanica, and it is still the most common natural enemy found with the moth in New Zealand.

[14] It is unknown how long LBAM has been present in California, though the first was identified in early 2007,[15] and widespread confirmed insect captures had been found across much of the coastal region of the state soon after.

[17] After the moth was confirmed to be present in California according to DNA testing, quarantine programs to prevent the spread of the Class A pest required farmers to pay for additional agricultural inspections and made it difficult to ship fruits and vegetables to other areas.

Less controversial efforts included nursery and grower treatment of potential infestations in plants using graduated integrated pest management (IPM) techniques with insecticides, smothering oils, and biologic controls such as Bacillus thuringiensis.

Public outcry over the aerial spraying plans was significant and centered on a fear of unknown health effects as well as general distrust of the government's claims that control measures were necessary and that the pheromone would be safe.

In June 2008, the California Department of Food and Agriculture announced that it was abandoning plans for aerial spraying over population centers in favor of using local application of pheromone-impregnated twist-ties, a control measure that had proven effective in New Zealand.

[30] In December 2015, an appeals court ruled against the LBAM pesticide program on the grounds that it violated state environmental laws.

[31] Five years after the first light brown apple moth was found in California, the state eliminated funding for inspection and monitoring, due to the statewide budget problems in 2012.

[15] The federal government funded the inspection program, and farmers were left to use pesticides to kill moth infestations at their own expense.