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James Hamilton, M. D.
"It's Miller Time!"
I love most of the the wildlife here in Colorado but I prefer it to be outside of our home.
This is a Miller Moth. It is about one inch long:
These critters are the metamorphic end stage of the Army Cutworm which emerges in the spring from the ground of the plains in Kansas, Nebraska and eastern Colorado.
Then millions of them begin a long flight to the high meadows of the central Rocky Mountains (Crested Butte is a favorite destination) where an annual wildflower bloom occurs. The moths feed on the nector and help pollinate the flowers before returning to their plains where they lay their eggs in the ground and then perish.
Which pathways they choose each year depends on rain, wind, temperature and who knows what else. Colorado Springs is often on their flight path.
These are not moths that eat clothing and they do not carry disease. Essentially, they are harmless.
But they are a nuisance! Able to get into the smallest of openings (in fact some would say that they can osmose through glass windows!) these moths flutter around anything that has light - lamps, windows, televisions etc.
They are basically lipid filled dust bags with wings. Their high caloric bodies make them a favorite food of bears which dig them out of rocks and hiding places in the mountains.
When they get into homes and buildings they flit around everywhere, especially in the evening. The worst thing one can do is flatten them on a cloth surface (blinds, curtains, etc,) as that lipid stuff is really messy. They often cling to ceilings and high walls making them difficult to terminate.
So, what I found works the best is:.jpg)
In past years I have captured up to 70 per day. So far this year my max has been 30.
I hope they move on to the mountains soon but there is a lot of smoke in the city now from that million acre wildfire in western Canada which has been over our city the last couple of days. How that affects their journey is yet to be seen,
Jim
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