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Moths

wildlife, gardening, environment, Rural living, Pets and Vets
Dod101
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Moths

#234645

Postby Dod101 » July 7th, 2019, 5:43 pm

Suddenly the moth season is upon me. July and August are the months we get moths and they are highly dangerous for woollen sweaters in particular. I dare not leave one out overnight and it must be put in a box to be reasonably safe. I live semi rural in West Perthshire. Do others have the problem?

Dod

bungeejumper
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Re: Moths

#234701

Postby bungeejumper » July 7th, 2019, 8:15 pm

Not here in distinctly rural West Wiltshire. Although I can vaguely remember a jumper getting mothed after it had been in a cupboard for about four years, I've never lost anything that was dear to my own heart. We must have different humidity patterns (or something like that), or maybe our southern moths have more interesting places to go on a Saturday night than the laundry pile?

BJ

stewamax
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Re: Moths

#234907

Postby stewamax » July 8th, 2019, 2:32 pm

I have a confession: when I was a little boy in primary school I was walking home for lunch one day with a friend and we came to a privet hedge (still there) with two HUGE moths spread out sunning themselves. My friend poked one - and it squeaked (ahhhhhh....).
Much later I recognised them as privet hawk moths, but I was under the impression that only the death's head hawk moths squeaked (through their probosces).

And I was left with a shudder (not fear - i am too old for that - but certainly an illogical distaste) for moths with brown furry bodies, and that is from a very long time ago. I have no problem picking up large spiders, dead rats, but such moths are Room 101 for me.

Braziers
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Re: Moths

#234908

Postby Braziers » July 8th, 2019, 2:42 pm

What I have noticed increasingly in recent years and markedly this year is the absence of moths and flying creatures.

It struck me again last night when i left the light in the bathroom on with the window open. In past years I could have expected the room to be abuzz; ceilings and walls mottled with resting winged bodies and crazed others gyrating the bulb. But not this year. Not last night. Not one.

Are we witnessing the mass extinction, or something else. Or nothing out of the ordinary?

bungeejumper
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Re: Moths

#234918

Postby bungeejumper » July 8th, 2019, 3:17 pm

Braziers wrote:In past years I could have expected the room to be abuzz; ceilings and walls mottled with resting winged bodies and crazed others gyrating the bulb. But not this year. Not last night. Not one.

Are we witnessing the mass extinction, or something else. Or nothing out of the ordinary?

Don't know, but the glass lamp outside our back door continues to fill up with dead moths at pretty much the normal rate. (About 1 centimetre per month.) We are using a small fluorescent bulb rather than an LED (which won't fit), and it gives off a faint buzz which I am sure adds to its fatal allure. :|

In the mornings we often come down to find snow-white moths clinging dead flat against our white front door. What a wonderful camouflage. And once again we've got hummingbird hawk moths in the garden. I'm told that they are now starting to overwinter in Britain.

Our two colonies of wild bees are busy up in the two sealed-off chimney pots, and they'll be swarming soon. No sign of the Fair Isle Sweater Moth, though. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for it. And for the dreaded Chunky Arran Beetle too.

BJ

Dod101
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Re: Moths

#234946

Postby Dod101 » July 8th, 2019, 5:11 pm

We certainly have plenty of moths. In fact on a calm warm afternoon I have just been cutting my grass and swarms of moths are coming off the grass as I work.

What seems to be more or less absent this year are house and sand martins, swallows and swifts. Apparently a problem in southern climes where they go in our winter.

Dod

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Re: Moths

#235108

Postby stewamax » July 9th, 2019, 10:28 am

Here in Rutland we have plenty of swifts - wonderful to see them swooping very fast as a loose flock on a warm evening - but I have yet to see a swallow (or more usually hear it, stationary high in the sky on a hot day).

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Re: Moths

#235128

Postby oldapple » July 9th, 2019, 11:37 am

We (rural Co Armagh) have swallows who have had a small brood, three, fledge about two weeks ago. They nested up a hatch in our garage so things have got messy - everything's been draped in old sheets, newspapers, cardboard boxes. I watched one baby sit on the edge of the hatch, turn round to drop its load on the sheet below, and turn back again to watch me. They've decamped now to another shed, still getting fed by parents.

Re moths, Ive found two or three ordinary ones in the house, and one new-to-me one outside, a small magpie moth.


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