Miller Moths Arriving Early This Year
Drought, Dry Weather Has Pesky Moths Invading Early
POSTED: 11:59 a.m. MDT May 14, 2002
UPDATED: 9:36 a.m. MDT May 16, 2003
DENVER -- The annual invasion of miller moths has begun early, apparently because of the hot and dry weather afflicting Colorado.
Last year, late snow and unpredictable weather meant the pesky
moths didn't migrate through Colorado in their usual large numbers.
"You know it's miller season when the swallows start bombing
around the intersections," said Whitney Cranshaw, a professor and
extension specialist in entomology at Colorado State University in
Fort Collins.
The moths are born on the plains of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska
in late fall as army cutworms, feeding off the wheat and alfalfa
fields.
By mid-spring, they burrow into the soil and, within two to
three weeks, emerge as moths. Then they move toward the mountains
for cooler temperatures and an abundance of flowers.
Drought in the Plains shortened the bloom period, depriving the
millers of normal nectar sources. The lure of big-city irrigated
landscape is overpowering with the promise of lilac and
Russian-olive nectar.
"The migration is going to be a forced march this year," said
Carl Wilson, a horticulturist with Colorado State University
Cooperative Extension in Denver.
The much-maligned moths' annual migration, from east to west,
happens nowhere else in the continental United States.
Miller moths are immune to most insecticides, so the easiest way
to eliminate them is to suck them up with a vacuum cleaner hose or
just swat them.
You could also attract them to traps, Cranshaw said.
An easy trap to make is to suspend a light bulb over a partially filled bucket of water. Moths attracted to the light often will fall into the water and be killed, Crenshaw advised on the Larimer County Cooperative Extention Web site.
Before miller moths start to fly, try to seal any obvious openings, particularly around windows and doors, Cranshaw suggests. Also, reduce lighting at night in and around the home during flights. This includes turning off all unnecessary lights or substituting non-attractive yellow lights.
"The world needs a kryptonite for miller moths, but it is not
available at present," Cranshaw said.
More Information:
Last year, late snow and unpredictable weather meant the pesky
moths didn't migrate through Colorado in their usual large numbers.
"You know it's miller season when the swallows start bombing
around the intersections," said Whitney Cranshaw, a professor and
extension specialist in entomology at Colorado State University in
Fort Collins.
The moths are born on the plains of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska
in late fall as army cutworms, feeding off the wheat and alfalfa
fields.
By mid-spring, they burrow into the soil and, within two to
three weeks, emerge as moths. Then they move toward the mountains
for cooler temperatures and an abundance of flowers.
Drought in the Plains shortened the bloom period, depriving the
millers of normal nectar sources. The lure of big-city irrigated
landscape is overpowering with the promise of lilac and
Russian-olive nectar.
"The migration is going to be a forced march this year," said
Carl Wilson, a horticulturist with Colorado State University
Cooperative Extension in Denver.
The much-maligned moths' annual migration, from east to west,
happens nowhere else in the continental United States.
Miller moths are immune to most insecticides, so the easiest way
to eliminate them is to suck them up with a vacuum cleaner hose or
just swat them.
You could also attract them to traps, Cranshaw said.
An easy trap to make is to suspend a light bulb over a partially filled bucket of water. Moths attracted to the light often will fall into the water and be killed, Crenshaw advised on the Larimer County Cooperative Extention Web site.
Before miller moths start to fly, try to seal any obvious openings, particularly around windows and doors, Cranshaw suggests. Also, reduce lighting at night in and around the home during flights. This includes turning off all unnecessary lights or substituting non-attractive yellow lights.
"The world needs a kryptonite for miller moths, but it is not
available at present," Cranshaw said.
More Information:
-
Miller Moths Info
Miller Moth FAQs (PDF File)
Information from Colorado State
Larimer County Cooperative Extension
Copyright 2003 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
