The powdery dust is really the moth’s tiny scales and is what gave the moth its name. If you swat these unfortunate moths, they’ll get back at you. If they are in your house, it’s because they were seeking shelter from the daytime predators by seeking a dark crack or crevice to crawl into-and then got into your house by mistake. And while sometimes it seems as if they are targeting your head, they really aren’t. Luckily, the moths are no more than a nuisance – they won’t eat your food or damage clothing or upholstery. In Denver, annual spikes in vehicle crashes, therapist visits and broken light fixtures clearly coincide with the influx of miller moths. But to keep this issue in perspective-know that the numbers we see in UT are nothing compared to the annual invasions experienced by populations on the Rocky Mountain front range. And that’s why we have so many moths now. And that’s what happened this year in the south central counties of Utah. However, flowery trees and gardens along the Wasatch front are powerful diversions thus our yards function as filling stations along the miller moth migration route.Īrmy cutworm populations soar during relatively warm winters with little snow cover. This sets them migrating to the alpine elevations of the Wasatch and Uinta Mountains. They emerge six weeks later with a yen for flower nectar. After eating all winter, the army cutworms burrow into the ground to pupate. The larvae eat their way through the winter chomping on winter wheat, alfalfa, and many other types of crops and plants. Miller moths begin their lives as army cutworms. Miller moth annoyance levels seemed highest along the Wasatch Front but other areas experienced high numbers as well.
These dusty gray nuisances have been mobbing our lights, dive bombing our heads and plopping into our nightstand water glasses. For several weeks many Utahns have been coping with a bumper crop of miller moths.
World Cup Colombian soccer player James Rodriguez isn’t the only one with a flying insect problem. Hi, I’m Holly Strand from the Quinney College of Natural Resources at Utah State University. Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Photographerįrank Peairs, Colorado State University, Photographer Download file | Play in new window | Recorded on July 17, 2014
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