Need information on moths and light pollution

[Stanley A. Gorodenski]

Paul,
The implication from your response, to me, is that light pollution has
no effect at all on moth populations.  In this context, I have a few
questions:
1.  What do you mean by 'hot spot'?  If the stand of birch trees is the
only stand in a large developed area, I would not consider that a 'hot
spot' because that is the only place the food source exists. 
2.  If you are implying that light pollution has no effect on the
Polyphemus population, what data do you have to back it up?  Merely
making a casual observation that larvae or adults exist at one or two
points in time in this stand is not sufficient.  It could be that this
small population is slowly declining from the effects of light
pollution.  It could also be that, even if it is not declining, the
population is smaller that what it would be without light pollution.  It
could also be that colonization by gravid females from outside the area
is continually taking place, giving a false impression that light
pollution has no effect.

Stan

Paul Cherubini wrote:
> 
> Tiser, Gene M wrote:
> 
> > 1) What is the impact of light pollution on the long term survival of moth
> > populations (especially Luna and Cercropia Moths).
> 
> Ironically, a "hot spot" to find cocoons of the big Polyphemus moth
> in the San Francisco Bay Area is in birch trees that have
> been planted as landscape ornamentals around buildings in an industrial park
> in Union City, California. Lots of street lights are in this area.
> 
> Paul Cherubini, Placerville, California

 
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