Experts predict miller season won’t be that bad this year

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Miller season might not be that bad this year. According to the latest forecast from Colorado State University, researchers say the miller moth population will not be as substantial this year compared to 2020.

The report, produced by Whitney Cranshaw and Frank Peairs, Extension Entomologists with CSU, says the number of cutworms in Spring 2021 seems to be much lower in numbers than in 2020.

CSU explains that good spring moisture will most likely lead to many more sources of blossoming flowers, which are the source of nectar moths seek during their migration. That means millers should spend less time in irrigated landscapes and be less noticeable.

Army cutworms, known as miller moths, annually migrate across the Front Range. They move from the plans to the mountains. According to CSU, peak migration lasts between five and six weeks, beginning in the last week of May or early June.

This year, the peak migration time is expected to be at least two weeks later than 2020, and will likely peak from early to mid-June. However, that peak won't be as significant as it was last year.

In 2020, the effects of drought and the severe freeze that happened in April greatly impacted flowers moths flock to. That resulted in the highest incidence of nuisance problems with millers within the last decade, according to the report.

To read the full report, and learn more about the miller moths, click here.