Invasive Moths: A Threat to Biodiversity and Agriculture

National Moth Week is a wonderful time to turn on the porch light—or attend a National Moth Night event—and celebrate biodiversity. But let’s not forget there are some moths that should not be celebrated—namely, the European grapevine moth, European gypsy moth, false codling moth and light brown apple moth. These invasive moths are destructive pests that threaten America’s crops, forests and community landscapes.

Invasive pests of all kinds can be extremely damaging to our natural ecosystems and farmlands. If left unchecked, these hungry pests can grow and spread rapidly, pushing out our native species, placing other species at increased risk of extinction, reducing biological diversity, killing forest trees and altering wildfire intensity and frequency. On our farms, they can destroy crops, close foreign markets to U.S. products from infested areas and cost millions of dollars in controls to industry and government.

Consider these invasive moths:

European Grapevine Moth

First detected in California in 2009, this pest feeds on the flower or fruit of host plants, most often the grape. This small moth might not seem like such a threat until you begin to consider a fine meal without your favorite domestic wine or a summer afternoon picnic without cool grapes to snack on.

European Gypsy Moth

This moth arrived in Massachusetts in 1869 and has a voracious appetite for more than 300 species of shrubs and trees. Since its introduction, it has made its way throughout much of New England, the Atlantic states and the Midwest. The caterpillars defoliate shrubs and trees, leaving them vulnerable to diseases and other pests and eventually killing them after repeated defoliations.

False Codling Moth

This moth feeds on more than 100 host plants, fruit trees, field crops and other plants including apricot, avocado, banana, cacao, cherry, citrus, coffee, cotton, corn, eggplant, grapefruit, grape, hibiscus, lemon, lima bean, lime, macadamia nut, mango, oak, okra, olive, peach, pepper, persimmon, plum, pomegranate, prune, tea, tomato, walnut … (shall we go on?). We found a single male moth in 2008 but—thankfully—none since.

Light Brown Apple Moth

A native of Australia, this moth was first detected in California in 2006. This hungry insect can feed on more than 2,000 species of plants, many of which might be in your own backyard! The light brown apple moth has an adventurous palate, continually expanding its appetite to new plants and crops.

What can you do to help stop this threat and leave hungry pests behind? We’re glad you asked!

• Learn to identify these moths and other invasive pests at HungryPests.com. If you see signs of an invasive pest or disease, write down or take a picture of what you see and then report it at HungryPests.com.

• Do not bring or mail fresh fruits, vegetables, plants, cuttings or soil into your state or another state unless agricultural inspectors have cleared them first.

• Never remove fresh produce, plants cuttings or waste products from your property if your area is under quarantine for one of these moths or other invasive pests, and cooperate with all quarantine restrictions or rules that might be imposed.

• Allow federal, state, or local officials, or contracted workers, access to your property to install and inspect insect-monitoring traps, conduct surveys, carry out control activities or perform other pest management activities.

• Know the quarantines and requirements in your area, especially if you’re planning to move or relocate. You can learn more about moving from a gypsy moth-infested area at YourMoveGypsyMothFree.com.

Enjoy National Moth Week. Celebrate biodiversity.

And please, Leave Hungry Pests Behind!

Our night of moth fun and science will begin with a brief introduction to moths in our outdoor classroom so that everyone can learn how to distinguish some of the common moth groups.  Then we’ll head out to our black lights, baits, and traps to see what’s out and about throughout the night!  Different species are active at different times, so we’re encouraging people to stay until 4AM for the best experience.  We’re also encouraging people to bring cameras so we can document all the moths we see.  We’ll upload our finds to a couple of citizen science websites as the night progresses so that we can contribute our data to science and officially document the moths we discover at the event.  We’ll also add our sightings to the Prairie Ridge species list.

Moths All Night has several goals, primarily to educate the public about moths, to observe and celebrate moths, and to document the moths of Prairie Ridge.  We’ve got four entomologists lined up so far, so attendees can talk to the experts and have their questions answered.  We’re hoping that people will walk away from the program with a new appreciation for the diversity of moths, a better understanding of how to identify the moths they see, and a warm fuzzy feeling from contributing to our overall understanding of moths as citizen scientists.

We welcome everyone to this event!  For more information, or to let us know you’re coming, please visit the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences program website at http://naturalsciences.org/programs-events/moths-all-night.

The Love Motel for Insects: Washington DC Variation

by Brandon Ballengée

Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Summer 2012

Inspired by the shape of dragonfly wings, this sculpture will utilize ultra-violet lights to attract insects and become a public platform for varied local entomology/ ecology themed programs. The primary objective will be to create opportunities for the public to experience a side of their local environment that many have probably never focused on— insect life!

The sculpture itself will glow beginning at dusk attracting numerous nocturnal arthropods. During the day, insects will gather around the artwork attracted by native flowers planted at the sculpture’s base. Related signage will educate the public about the installation, the species of native plants and the ecological importance of insects. Varied public programs (to be discussed) will celebrate arthropod biodiversity and inspire participants to gain a better overall understanding of their local ecology.

This series began in the tropical rainforests of Central America more than a decade ago. Since, the sculptures have appeared on boats in Venice, bogs in Ireland, isolated moors in Scotland, bustling Delhi shopping malls, Mexican deserts, New Haven inner-city bus stops, London roof tops, Korean mountain-sides, Louisiana Bayous and others. At each location community events occur: bioart workshops; eco-action field-trips; trans-species picnics; bug parties; enviro-graffiti jams, citizen science investigations and even insect themed musical events.

Moths are hidden treasures of the night; gracefully dancing as others sleep. Only those who work to find these beauties open themselves to the vast world of moths.  Moths? Yes: a world of hawks, owls, tigers, sphinxes, and fearful eyes, all waiting outside your door, or perhaps in your home!  Moths are a division of the order Lepidoptera, which can be translated as “scale-winged flier.”  This is because the wings are colored, and appear hairy of which are comprised by multitudes of small scales.

There are estimated over 160,000 moths worldwide, with thousands unknown.  There are about ten times more moths than butterflies! Even though there is such a vast amount of moths in the world, they seem to be under recognized, and stereotyped as drabby, dull, gray, creatures. Moths are not dull, nor drab! The Rosy Maple Moth (Dryocampa rubicunda) is a vibrant pink and yellow moth.  National Moth Week is a great way to promote awareness of these fascinating creatures!  Even once you find these moths, some of them still hide their true beauty.  Many have hindwings with vibrant colors, such as reds, blues, and even oranges!

I have been in awe with moths for as long as I can remember.  Their huge black eyes were mesmerizing, and their furry bodies exhibited a friendly presence I could not resist! The variation between the antennae interested me as well!  Many moths are very docile, and tolerant of great deals of attention, especially the large sphinx moths and the silk moths.  I loved the idea of having to search for creatures, usually with the help of an outdoor light, of which they are automatically attracted to.  This phenomenon is known as positive phototaxis.  At the moment there is no absolute reasoning behind such an attraction, but there are various theories.

I joined Project Noah to find out more about the world’s diversity, as well as the amazing species around me.  I have a primary focus on moths of which vary from millimeters large to inches!  They are definitely a world of their own! On Project Noah, I created a Mission called Moths of the Northeastern United States, of which I had dreams to expand it to a transcontinental level.  Before it was expanded, I needed to gain many participants and even more spottings.  Once Peter Horvath and Yasser Ansari, the co-founders of Project Noah, found the mission had enough popularity, they expanded the mission to include North and South America, the name being Moths of the Americas.  The mission now documents a large range, displaying a beautifully wide diversity of moths.  It is quite amazing to find that some of the moths may be hiding in your backyard! Currently, my mission has grown to over 360 participants, and over 1,300 spottings!

People use various tactics to discover moths.  Perhaps the most simple is turning on an outside light.  I suggest (from personal experience) to turn on a light which is a reasonable distance from the door you will be coming out of, to avoid tons of flies and other insects from flooding into your house.  I would also bring a flashlight which would help better with close-ups and to avoid any hazards which may be hidden because of the darkness.  I would turn the light on about an hour before getting outside, to make sure as many moths as possible are attracted.  Another attraction tactic I have learned about is tying a bed sheet between two trees, or poles.  You can shine a light in front, behind, or above the sheet for it to reflect.  I have tied the bed sheet to a swing set, using bungee cords, and it is basically a magnification of the outside light technique.  From my personal experiences, it does not do much more in attracting moths than just turning on a light.  At this point, it does not seem to be worth the extra work. If you have any suggestions upon other ways to attract moths, please email me at jgorneau@me.com. I would love to find more sphinx moths, as well as silk moths.

It is also possible to look for moths during the day.  Many hide along the sidings of houses, usually secluding themselves to a fairly small area.  If you have a porch, they may hide on the underside of the roof, and in any shady corners.  Many are resting during the day, since most moths are nocturnal, though some are diurnal and will be quite active during the day, such as Hummingbird Moths, Ctenucha Moths, and various other species.

Caterpillars can be found feeding on host plants, usually during and after a moth’s mating season, which varies among species. Perhaps the most commonly found caterpillar is the Woolly Bear Caterpillar, which is black with a rusty-colored band in the middle of its body.  The Woolly Bear Caterpillar is completely hairy, with no harmful spikes or poisonous warts.  The species is quite versatile, feeding on virtually anything it is given, which makes it a wonderful way to begin rearing caterpillars.  Once caterpillars pupate, or form their cocoons around themselves, they can take anywhere from weeks to years to eclose, or emerge from the cocoon as a fully grown adult.  I have tried to rear three types of moths from the larval, or caterpillar stage, including: the Eastern Forest Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum), the Copper Underwing Caterpillar (Amphipyra pyramidoides), and the Interrupted Dagger Moth Caterpillar (Acronicta interrupta).  Unfortunately the Copper Underwing died after a horrendously hot spring day.  This is an example which shows it is best to rear caterpillars inside, in a cool area without too much sun.  I raise caterpillars in a mason jar with a mesh cap, to aerate their habitat, and to prevent a greenhouse-like effect on the caterpillars, which would surely kill them.  I change leaves and clean out the jar once a day to every other day.  Once the caterpillars pupate, I move them to a smaller jar and keep them in good watch.  If you do not think you will be present when the caterpillar ecloses, open the jar and tilt it on its side on a flat surface outdoors, where it will be able to safely emerge from its cocoon.

If you would like to identify moths yourself, I recommend purchasing David Wagner’s Caterpillars of Eastern North America, which will not only help you identify caterpillars, but it will help you with identification of many adult moths as well.  BugGuide has silhouette patterns which will help narrow your species search greatly: http://bugguide.net/node/view/21675. I have identified many moths this way.

Moths have inspired me to learn much more about the wildlife around me, mesmerizing me in every possible way.  I love to discover them hiding, like a treasure chest at the bottom of the sea.  They are amazing creatures, and I am glad we are publicizing them through National Moth Week.  I am very passionate about moths, and I am glad to learn that many others are! If moths aren’t fascination, keep looking; everyone has some sort of passion for wildlife, be it plants or predators!

Bob Perkins of the Blue Ridge Discovery Center will survey moths in the area around the headquarters building of Matthews State Forest from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. Visitors interested in moths and other night-flying critters will be welcome. Bob, who has a life-long interest in insects, will do on-the-spot identifications on request.

The headquarters building in on the north side of US 58 west of Galax.

There is a sign at the entrance.

Website & Facebook

We know you are all getting really excited for National Moth Week, which is now only one month away! Show your appreciation with this cool National Moth Week t-shirt!

The shirt was designed by Jenn Forman Orth, using an image provided by Lynette Schimming. For each shirt sold, Jenn will donate her entire commission to Bugguide.net. The shop also has versions in black and lime green.

http://www.cafepress.com/invasivespecies

When Googling Plume Moths earlier this morning, I found this site dedicated to them. It is run by Dr. Deborah Matthews from the The McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity. Their website looks pretty cool as well.

So for all my fellow Moth’ers out there that have an interest in Pterophoridae, take a visit.

http://www.plumemoth.com

Elena will earn her PhD in Ecology from Rutgers this upcoming December. Her research focuses on moths of the family Sphingidae, which are large, pollinating moths commonly called hawkmoths. She has studied various aspects of nocturnal hawkmoth ecology and behavior such as their abundance and diversity in fragmented urban systems, their nectar diets, and their role as pollinators in the urban landscape of the NJ-NY metropolitan area. She also studies day-flying hawkmoths, commonly called clearwing moths. Since these moths are mimics of bumblebees, she has been comparing their nectar feeding behaviors to the bees that they mimic and the nocturnal moths to which they are related. Though she began her graduate career as a plant ecologist, she has since embraced entomology wholeheartedly. Elena has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Drew University and has been involved in ecology and environmental education since graduating. She has worked as an environmental educator for NJ Audubon Society and as an educator, native plant propagator and meadow restorationist for Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve. In her spare time, Elena “enjoys” writing her dissertation and trying to have her data published.

  Now the biggest piece of information I can give you is, read the Manual that came with your camera. There is a lot of info in there for the novice photographer. If that isn’t enough for you, I’ve complied a few links to help you out. Just take your time and try new things out, don’t worry we have all made mistakes & have taken crappy pictures.

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Macro Instruction

Simple:

http://www.beautifulbugs.com/beautifulbugs/howto.htm

This site has some very easy to understand information for the budding macro photographer.

http://macrophotographyforbeginners.blogspot.com/

http://www.macrophotographyforbeginners.com/

Same guy different sites

Advanced:

http://www.bmpt1.com/

Not a bad site, for some it might be a little too much. The Table of Contents is very helpful.

You Never Take Your Camera Off M:

http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

First one finds their camera (or nearest neighbor), select the lens you are using, then the selected f-stop and finally the distance from subject. This bit of Java Script (or so I think its Java) will then tell you how deep the focus is.

For People With P& S Cameras

http://thehowzone.com/how/PS-Macros

Soften That Flash!

Homemade Diffusers can be made out of such things as milk jugs, Styrofoam cups, taping a piece of tracing paper over the flash and even bouncing the light off a piece of foam core or white poster board can help improve your moth photography. Search http://www.diyphotography.net for more ideas!

Here is a fun tip for those that use the on-board flash

http://content.photojojo.com/diy/diy-film-container-flash-diffuser/

For those that have a macro lens & an attachable flash here is a link

http://www.diyphotography.net/homestudio/blz/flash-mini-bouncer

Knowing Your Strobe:

http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/ (Canon Users)

http://www.moosepeterson.com/techtips/flash.html (Nikon Users)

http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/ (Other Lighting Solutions)

Don’t forget to practice, practice & then even practice some more. You’re not going to be the Ansel Adams of insect photography overnight but one day you might have the skills as these people:

http://myrmecos.net/

http://www.insectphotography.com/

http://toddjdreyer.com/ (shameless plug)