Lackey moth adults are mid-brown in colour and have a wingspan of approximately 30 mm. They lay eggs in bands of 100-250 that encircle the stems of a wide range of deciduous trees and shrubs. 

The hairy orange, white and blue striped brown caterpillars are up to 50 mm long. They feed gregariously under webbing and can cause a significant amount of defoliation on their deciduous tree hosts.

Some other caterpillars may appear similar to those of the Lackey moth. Two which may be found in gardens in London and surrounding areas are the gypsy moth and oak processionary moth. The gypsy moth has 7 cm long caterpillars which have yellowish heads with hairy brownish yellow and black bodies, it is found on a wide variety of trees and shrubs. Oak processionary moth has hairy black caterpillars that form nests, but is only found on oak. Oak processionary moth has irritant hairs and should not be handled.

Like most moths in the garden the Lackey moth is harmless and part of the biodiversity healthy trees can support. Find out more about supporting moths in your garden. 

The egg bands of this moth are often noticed on deciduous tree hosts in late summer. These hatch in April and the caterpillars feed gregariously under silk webbing and can be present until July when they pupate in leaf litter. The silk webbing and defoliation can be obvious at this time.

The adults emerge from July to September and soon lay eggs.