Which pest overwinters as a pupa inside the cone?

• A. Douglas fir cone moths
• B. Gypsy moth
• C. Cone bug
• D. Fir coneworm

Answer: (A)

Some cone pests use the cone itself as a protected winter home, with pupation occurring inside the cone. For the Douglas-fir cone moth, the life cycle is tightly tied to the cone: eggs hatch and larvae feed within the cone, and as winter approaches they pupate inside the cone tissue. The cone then shelters the pupal stage until adults emerge in spring to mate and lay more eggs. That pupal stage inside the cone is the reason this pest is described as overwintering there.

Gypsy moths, by contrast, overwinter as egg masses laid on the bark or branches, not inside cones. The cone bug and fir coneworm have different overwintering strategies or locations, so they don’t fit the description of overwinters as a pupa inside the cone.