Boxwood shrubs across Anderson Township are turning brown and dying, sometimes seemingly overnight, as an invasive moth species spreads through east side neighborhoods during summer 2026.
The box tree moth, an invasive pest from East Asia first detected in Ohio in June 2023, has reached Anderson Township after appearing in Loveland last year. The moth's caterpillars feed deep inside the shrub's canopy, stressing and eventually killing the plants before homeowners realize what's happening.
Anderson Township homeowner Christina Witte told WLWT on Wednesday, Aug. 19, that her shrubs deteriorated with alarming speed: "Last week they were green and then they just had little bits of brown on them. And then it felt like overnight they turned, and they were almost all brown."
Cody Douglass, landscape manager at Native Roots on Clough Pike, said early signs include blistering on the leaves, followed by browning and death. The caterpillars eat from the interior of the shrub outward, making early detection difficult without looking down into the plant.
Insecticides can treat affected boxwoods, but if an entire shrub has already turned brown or died, whether it can be saved is a case-by-case call. Douglass advised homeowners unsure what's harming their shrubs to contact a local nursery for confirmation.
A growing problem statewide
Hamilton County has been under an Ohio Department of Agriculture quarantine for box tree moths since the original quarantine was established. On Jan. 30, the ODA expanded the quarantine to include seven additional counties: Preble, Clark, Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Lorain, Lake and Lucas.
The stakes are significant. ODA Director Brian Baldridge told WYSO in February that Ohio's nursery industry holds roughly $200 million in boxwood inventory, with retail sales of $12 million to $15 million per year.
Bill Rudy, operations manager at Ohio Nursery Exchange, told WYSO in that same February report that nurseries are better equipped to manage the pest, but homeowner education remains the critical gap. "I don't think it'll ever go back to the way it was," Rudy said. "I think where the education has to come is with the homeowner."
What Anderson Township residents should do
Homeowners who suspect box tree moth damage should:
- Look down into boxwood shrubs for webbing or green caterpillars
- Watch for leaf blistering as an early warning sign
- Contact a local nursery such as Native Roots (6840 Clough Pike) for identification help
- Report sightings to the Ohio Department of Agriculture through its online reporting tool
