62.028 BF1454  –  Pyralidae –  Phycitinae – Dioryctria abietella – Dark Pine Knot-horn – (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Blue –  Generally Common / Widespread   
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Pyralidae  >> Phycitinae
Other Name/s: Pine Knot-horn
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  D. abietella
ID pointers: There is considerable uncertainty to the status of the four Dioryctria species in Britain, as they are very difficult to tell apart. In particular, D. abietella and D. simplicella both are associated with pine. There is also some size overlap with D.sylvestrella, both being the largest of the four Dioryctria species. 
Distribution:  A species that has spread into the county due to the commercial planting of Pine, so likely to be common wherever there are Pine plantations.
Flight Period: June /  July /  August /  September /  October /  –  On the wing during June- October. Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – occasionally attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Will Soar; Dave Evans  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 26-32mm
Food Plant: Pine (Pinus sylvestris).
Recorded dates for Common [Blue code Blue-coded] moths are not stored on the website at this current time.

Selected Images:  Kings Newton, Derbyshire – Will Soar © / Belper – Dave Evans©



Distribution Map for Dioryctria abietella

Found 44 records
    ↳ 4 from After 2025
    ↳ 19 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 21 from Before 2020
Flying
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

If the Map Layers function fails, just refresh the page and it should be OK after. Use the +- zoom on the top left, or on a tablet, use two fingers to zoom. Remember, the last layer you ticked is the one which displays the popup information - they sit on top of each other - de-select then re-select, to see the popup values.

Bedrock Geology ** indirectly affects moth distribution by influencing the type of habitat and food plants available in an area. In turn, this may affect the types of moths that can thrive, or where they can most likely be found.


NBN Atlas UK Distribution for – Dioryctria abietella

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Note – the NBN Atlas datasets are listed in the map below and vary in their currency (uptodateness) – however, the map does give a general indication of the moth's distribution across the UK.

Visit NBN Site


Monthly Records By Year: Dioryctria abietella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Monthly Counts By Year: Dioryctria abietella
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only. )


First/Last Recorded Dates: Dioryctria abietella
Adult-only & Anything [Larvae, Pupae, Adult, Mines]

Shading shows moth presence between dates

Click the colour discs below to Select/De-select as Required

Recordings By Year: Dioryctria abietella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Dioryctria abietella
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%


CUSUM Analysis: Dioryctria abietella
About this chart: CUSUM (Cumulative Sum) charts track long-term trends in moth populations [ filtered by 'Adult' and 'Mine' life stages ] by showing whether each year’s counts are above or below the historical average. Even small shifts build up over time, making trends of growth, stability, or decline easier to see. CUSUM highlights trend-consistency — asking: “Across the years, have moth counts mostly stayed above or below average?”
The data sample has 12 gap year/s here (zero records) between 2000 and 2025. The moth may have been present in those gap years, but no data was available. Too many year-gaps may exaggerate or skew the chart.

Counts for the current year (2025) are pro-rated based on data available up to month 9 (September) to provide a full-year equivalent.

Purple line rises = years better than average; falls = years worse than average.
Peak (best year) Trough (worst year) Growth periods Decline periods
Population peaked around 2008, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2007, showing a significant decline.

What the Y-axis "Cumulative Deviation" means: Cumulative Deviation shows the running total of how each year’s moth population count differs from the long-term average. i

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Dioryctria abietella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Dioryctria abietella
( data includes Adult Stage only )

Flight Period chart – the grey hatched area above, which can cross one or more months, pictorially represents the best guess we have for this moth's flight periods [month/s]. The coloured lines represent the actual months seen in flight, from site observation records received between 2020-2025.

Records Behind the Map and Charts - Dioryctria abietella – 44 records available

Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
upper cromford gardenSK25Y27/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34U18/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Findern, DerbyshireSK33A17/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Longdendale, Torside willow and larch woodSK09U13/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Sandiacre GardenSK43T25/10/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Buxton (w)SK07R06/08/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Wingerworth, DerbyshireSK36Y27/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Brockwell Chesterfield , Derbyshire.SK37Q21/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Midway, Derbys.SK32A18/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R18/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
upper cromford gardenSK25Y17/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Ladycroft Ave, BuxtonSK07S14/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Allestree, DerbySK33P10/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Sandiacre GardenSK43T10/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Park Head, Crich.SK35M30/06/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34N30/05/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R24/08/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R02/07/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y17/08/20201Adultvc57_irecords_extract
The Mays, Malthouse Lane, FroggattSK27N08/08/20201adultDanes_2019-2021
Findern, Derbyshire, DEAZSK33A04/07/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
The Mays, Malthouse Lane, FroggattSK27N01/07/20201adultDanes_2019-2021
Woodland AveSK43R14/06/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Birch ValeSK08I02/08/20191adultvc57_irecords_extract
Buxton SK, UKSK07S17/07/20191Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Ladycroft Ave, BuxtonSK07S16/07/20191adultvc57_irecords_extract
DRONFIELD WOODHOUSESK37J01/07/20151adultvc57_irecords_extract
The Old Manse, Ault Hucknall, GlapwellSK46S22/07/20131Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
The Mays,Malthouse Lane,FroggattSK27N15/07/20121Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Whitesprings Plantation, Darley DaleSK26X25/06/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Robin Wood (central area)SK32M04/08/20082Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Robin WoodSK32M03/08/200811Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Melbourne, DerbyshireSK32X04/07/20081adultvc57_irecords_extract
Spinney Hill,MelbourneSK32X04/07/20081Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Midway Rd,Midway,SwadlincoteSK32A27/06/20081Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Far Cross,Cavendish Park,MatlockSK36A23/08/20072Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Calke Park Ticknall Lime YardsSK32R03/08/20071adultvc57_irecords_extract
Ticknall Limeyards,TicknallSK32R03/08/20071Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Calke Park Meadow and LimesSK32R08/07/20071adultvc57_irecords_extract
Calke Park,TicknallSK32R06/07/20071Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
The Hollies,Station Rd,Darley DaleSK26R09/06/20071Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Edgecote Drive,Newhall,SwadlincoteSK22V21/09/20061Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
The Hollies,Station Rd,Darley DaleSK26R04/08/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y18/07/20031Adultvc57_irecords_extract

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