Where are the miller moths? Southern Colorado insect expert explains
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Where are all the miller moths? Maybe you’ve been asking yourself this question… or maybe you’ve been staying hush-hush about it trying not to jinx us!
We spoke to a local insect expert to find out why the number of miller moths seems so minimal this year.
“This year does seem to be a below average year,” said Colorado State University Entomologist, Lisa Mason. “It appears that there may be significantly less moths this year.”
Mason believes less moths survived their trek back to the Great Plains last fall to lay eggs, due to the early winter weather the High Country dealt with. That's why there are now less new moths heading to the mountains this spring.
It’s a long journey for the little guys!
“Their migration is really impressive,” Mason gushed about the bugs.
Mason says the moths tend to stop here in the plentiful Front Range before making way to the Rockies.
“We irrigate our landscapes and there’s lots of flowers blooming,” Mason explained when asked why they gravitate to our homes here.
We’re told the entire migration usually takes a little over a month, from mid-May to mid-June.
While there may be less moths this year, the weather patterns have also lent themselves to a more gradual migration – possibly causing them to stay longer.
“I don’t anticipate a huge influx or anything,” Mason said. “With this cool, rainy weather, we’re probably going to see them for a little while longer - just not in the significant numbers that we’ve see them in past years.”
They like wet. They like vegetation… And, vegetation likes them!
“Miller moths are pollinators! And they’re also an important food source for birds and other wildlife,” Mason explained.
If you can ignore their annoying flutter and ugly appearance, they’re actually not so bad, Mason stressed.
“They cannot reproduce in your home, they cannot cause any damage,” Mason said.
So, while you probably won’t see a swarm of these guys this year – you’ll likely still see a few.
Mason said if you can’t bring yourself to appreciate them, you can try sealing up the entryways to your home, reducing outdoor lighting, or putting a tub of soapy water near a light that they’ll drown in.
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