Moths coming to lights at night

[Mike Soukup]

Great posting Jim.  The only thing I would like to add is that, in my
experience, MOST moths DO NOT ever actually come to a light.  Sure, my
lights do attract many moths.  However, driving or walking along
mountain roads in western Maryland, I see, literally thousands of
moths.  If I set up my light up in the middle, I attract quite a few. 
But, I believe it is a very small percentage of the moth
population....although I have no numbers to back it up.

And, morning predation is the pits.  Any moth larger than a micro which
has not flown away before about 5:30 AM....is eaten by Blue Jays and
Grackles.  Then, the bald-faced hornets and yellow jackets get the rest
(not to even mention the toads, frogs, skinks and spiders!).  And last,
I'm not so sure about the "lights causing a decline in species".  I
believ it is more of the fact that where humans put lights, they tend to
tear down the trees and other host plants.  It's not the lights, it's
the peripheral habitat-destroying construction that usually accompanies
the lights.  When I was young ....so long ago, I did most of my
collecting at a local high school.   It had GREAT MV lights on every
wall and I was able to amass a fairly substantial collection for a
young'un.  If I go there now, there are no moths to speak of.  This is
due to the large housing development they put where the forest USED to
be.  As an experiment last year, I went out past the development (just
1/4-1/2 mile from the previous shool location) and set up the ole MV
light and a sheet.  It was just like the old days.  Sats, Sphinxes and
hordes of micros.  So, in my opinion - it ain't the lights....it's the
development!

Later
-- 
Mike Soukup
mikayak at ix.netcom.com
Web Page => http://pw1.netcom.com/~mikayak
click here to send E-mail=> mailto:mikayak at ix.netcom.com