mystery moths

[Roger C. KENDRICK]

Hi Bill,

This sounds as though it could be the same species of Agrotis or Euxoa that
I recall seeing on a wildlife program a year or so ago about Grizzlies.
Apparently they feast on aestivating noctuid moths that while away the hot
months by migrating upto the cooler altitudes and sitting out the summer in
caves and sheltered hollows. I guess the moths think that the homes are
located in a suitably appropriate microclimate to aestivate in and adopt the
same idea as us - a home to humans would once have been a cave! As to how
they get in - air vents would be a good bet.

Hope this helps,

Roger.

Bill Conner wrote:

> Hey folks,
>
>         A Wake Forest faculty member just returned from Beaver Creek,
> Colorado with an interesting story. Home owners in the area are plagued
> with medium sized noctuids (possibly in the genus Euxoa) that fill their
> homes. Imagine as many as two hundred adults flying around in your
> living room. This happens every July.
>         The homeowners live at an elevation of about 9200ft. in an area
> that is dominated by aspens. Any idea on what these critters are and how
> they get into what appear to be well constructed homes.
>         Thanks for helping with this.
>
> Bill Conner
>
> --
> =====================
>
> William E. Conner
> Department of Biology
> Wake Forest University



--
Roger C. KENDRICK
  Demonstrator / Ph.D. Student
  Dept. of Ecology & Biodiversity, The University of Hong Kong
  mailto:kendrick at hkusua.hku.hk

Hong Kong Moths website coordinator
  http://web.hku.hk/~kendrick/hkmoth.htm

HK Lepidopterists' Society (English version)
  http://members.xoom.com/hkls/