Every spring, people along the Front Range start seeing small gray and brown moths just about everywhere. These little moths have a knack for getting into houses and buildings and can be seen in massive numbers on the roads, under overpasses, and in pretty much any yard or neighborhood from Pueblo to Fort Collins (and beyond!). We call these abundant insects miller moths, but they are also known as Euxoa auxiliaris or the army cutworm in their larval phase. These moths migrate yearly and almost always leave us with many questions, especially when they are swarming around lights and TVs inside our homes. Why are there so many? Why do they appear so suddenly? And most importantly, why are they so good at getting into our houses?

For some people, the miller moths are annual unwelcome guests, but these moths are essential for our native ecosystems. This abundance of moths is a yearly feast for our local birds and reptiles, providing a much-needed meal at the time it is most needed – spring nesting time. Like many other annual invertebrate guests, miller moths are an incredibly important and reliable food source for adult and baby birds, and the large number of moths we will be seeing through June and July is ensuring that the local swallows and many other insectivorous birds are getting the nutrients they and their newborn offspring need!

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2020 is already seeing an influx of miller moths, far more than have been seen in the last four years, according to CSU Entomologists Whitney Cranshaw and Frank Peair. The reason for this is the relatively dry winter and early spring conditions. Miller moths are migratory – the moths we are seeing now were born in the fields of eastern Colorado and even further east into Kansas and Nebraska. While we face the yearly influx of moths, the farmers to our east expect a yearly influx of army cutworms that can decimate crops, eating a huge variety of herbivorous plants as caterpillars. Once the caterpillars pupate and the moths emerge, the moths follow the nectar sources east, pollinating flowers all along their route. They will spend the summer feeding in the mountains before returning to the plains in the fall to lay the next generation of eggs.

Miller moths are also observed clustering in an around buildings in certain years. The low amount of rainfall over the winter paired with a late freeze resulted in fewer wild flowers, encouraging moths to seek food around homes and gardens where the nectar resources are more abundant. If there are moths in your house, that means the flowers around you are getting pollinated and your local birds are feasting, so say hello to our summertime guests (and perhaps enjoy the extra enrichment your cats and dogs get by chasing them)!

Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: WHY