Starting to see miller moths? While they may be annoying, experts say they’re harmless
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - It's that time of year when Southern Coloradans may come home to fluttering insects inside their front door.
Miller moths are traveling over Colorado Springs and the entire state as the insects make their annual migration from east to west.
"They're looking for a place to hide during the day so they don't get eaten, and so they will find the crack between the door and the doorjamb, for example, or they go into the folds of umbrellas," said John Murgel, a Horticulture and Natural Resources Specialist with Colorado State University.
Murgel says he understands the moths can be an annoyance for some, but they are nocturnal creatures on the search for safety. The insects will take any opening they can, and Murgel says they often accidentally find themselves inside residential properties.
The key then becomes preventing the moths from entering a home on the front end.
Murgel encourages all Coloradans to keep their exterior porch lights turned off and to ensure their home's cracks or crevices are covered. However, if the moths do get inside, they're mostly harmless.
"It doesn't eat your clothes. It doesn't cause any damage other than getting dust on stuff," said Murgel
The moths will eventually die inside your home and disintegrate, but if you'd like to expedite that process, Murgel says you should use a bowl and light source technique.
Murgel says to fill up a bowl with water and add a little bit of soap. Next, put that bowl next to a light source like a lamp. The moths will come to the light source, fall into the water, and then you can pour the moths and water out.
