The larvae feed on Poa species, Festuca arundinacea and occasionally Cynodon dactylon.

Parapediasia teterrellus was first described in 1821 from Georgia, one of the first pyralid moths recorded in North America.

By the late 1800s, Parapediasia teterrellus encompassed the midwestern United States.

It was recorded in Albuquerque, NM and Tucson, AZ in 1935-1940, Los Angeles in 1954, and the San Francisco Bay area in 1988.

It has effectively replaced its lawn moth competitors Tehama bonifatella and Crambus sperryellus in urban areas.