No moths

arknor · 12 Jul 2022 at 21:20

cheesefest said:
One thing I haven’t endured in the past few years are moths that fly inside my home and flutter around lights. I’m glad of this as hate moths.

Is it just me noticed this?

Someone invented these amazing things

https://www.amazon.co.uk/EXTSUD-Magnetic-Mosquito-Automatically-Childrens/dp/B06Y99RGNB/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MOEGFY-Mosquito-Self-Adhesive-Protector-Multiple/dp/B085C28ZS3/

Not worried about moths here because I got my windows covered

if you buy the windows nets though do your self a favour and get some proper velcro

https://www.amazon.co.uk/VELCRO-Brand-Fasteners-Perfect-Office/dp/B0013DO888/

the stuff that came with the net for windows is crap and starts to peel off after a day, the stuff that came with the door one is awesome though and mines been holding well for months

Raymond Lin · 12 Jul 2022 at 21:22

There are notably less insects. The drive I do on the weekend through 20 miles of country A-roads, usually in the summer during dusk/just after it gets dark I could literally hire "pop pop pop" like raindrops, but it's insects hitting the windscreen. There are much less of that this year.

Blackjack Davy · 12 Jul 2022 at 23:15

cheesefest said:
One thing I haven’t endured in the past few years are moths that fly inside my home and flutter around lights. I’m glad of this as hate moths.

Is it just me noticed this?

There isn't the squashed bugs on the car that there used to be either once upon a time you'd go on a long drive and the windscreen and grille would be plastered in dead bugs today theres almost nothing Clarkson was mentioning the same on Clarkson's Farm I noticed. Butterfly bush at my mum's place is barren when I was a kid it'd be covered with butterflies; red admirals, tortoiseshells, peacocks, today, nada.

Mysterae_ · 13 Jul 2022 at 00:53

I had a particularly annoying female one bugging me in my office tonight, put it down to the time of the moth.

Joeyuk · 13 Jul 2022 at 01:41

I get loads in my flat, I have the windows open all the time with no nets. Have put up some cheap mesh over the windows that has worked well but not a permanent solution.

Rroff · 13 Jul 2022 at 03:22

Raymond Lin said:
There are notably less insects. The drive I do on the weekend through 20 miles of country A-roads, usually in the summer during dusk/just after it gets dark I could literally hire "pop pop pop" like raindrops, but it's insects hitting the windscreen. There are much less of that this year.

I've noticed it driving home - didn't used to be that bad but you'd pickup a fair few - last few years it is literally like 1 or 2.

I've never experienced anything like it in England like when we used to go to Scotland on holiday as a kid though - driving through some of the lanes in the evening after a day out and it would be a massacre - literally a solid mass of dead bugs on any forward facing surface and almost like snow in the headlights.

Richie · 13 Jul 2022 at 08:27

As mentioned, sterile gardens are a huge factor in this... Housing estates filled with these cause a barrier preventing insect migration between natural spaces.

Too many decked, slabbed and fake grass gardens around... People trying to make an outdoor space into a clean, organised, sterile indoor style space for their entire garden instead of leaving at least a section of garden to go natural to aid wildlife.

Dis86 · 13 Jul 2022 at 08:42

Richie said:
As mentioned, sterile gardens are a huge factor in this... Housing estates filled with these cause a barrier preventing insect migration between natural spaces.

Too many decked, slabbed and fake grass gardens around... People trying to make an outdoor space into a clean, organised, sterile indoor style space for their entire garden instead of leaving at least a section of garden to go natural to aid wildlife.

I had to laugh at my grandmother recently when she was commenting on there being fewer insects etc.

As she emptied 2 bottles of pesticide over her roses....

Yaayuh! · 13 Jul 2022 at 08:49

Loads of moths here, thankfully.

I've kept some ragwort this year for some cinnabars.

D3K · 13 Jul 2022 at 09:03

Watched a moth bounce around the kitchen window while doing the dishes last night. It kept battering off a spider's web, not sure why it wouldn't stick. Spider was keen to catch it though. Took about 10 attempts to pin it, and even then it was still wriggling free of the cocoon the spider kept trying to spin on it. Eventually wrapped it up and spider took off into the corner to add it to the pantry. Fascinating.

Saint1972 · 13 Jul 2022 at 10:31

Stu999 said:
I blame you for this. Also had one in this morning, had windows open all night.

That's a clothes moth,most moths in summer are clothes moths.

Junglist · 13 Jul 2022 at 13:21

My partner saw and then sent me a video of a moth she was watching whilst walking the dog a few days ago. A humming-bird hawk month. I actually hate moths and have an irrational fear of them (and butterflies) but this Moth was incredible. It had a such precise and fast method of flight that it gave me new respect for them. I always thought Moths could barely fly but the way this guy flew from flower to flower was amazing.

glenimp617 · 13 Jul 2022 at 18:28

I just realised our bedroom ceiling isn't crawling in flies this year, nor any getting stuck under the TV screen.

Blackjack Davy · 14 Jul 2022 at 01:01

Come to think of it I havn't seen a single moth this year despite it being hot and the windows open not sure I've seen any for some time now

Saint1972 said:
That's a clothes moth,most moths in summer are clothes moths.

Once went into a flat and the place was infested with clothes moths place had to be fumigated in teh end, avoid woolen carpets people...

V F · 14 Jul 2022 at 01:18

Raymond Lin said:
There are notably less insects. The drive I do on the weekend through 20 miles of country A-roads, usually in the summer during dusk/just after it gets dark I could literally hire "pop pop pop" like raindrops, but it's insects hitting the windscreen. There are much less of that this year.

Strangely, I never noticed that until recently. You used to see a lot over the grill and number plate. Even at night with the room lights on I no longer hear moths tapping the windows like past summers.

I remember the bugs on the cars were pretty bad during the 1990s during long car trips. I also remember the 90s with longer hotter summers. 1996/97/98 were one heck of summers.

413x · 14 Jul 2022 at 10:34

Yeah biodiversity is taking a massive hit year on year.

A few butterfly and moth species are up. But the trend is down. Goes for most wildlife.

I see people ripping up lawns (which aren't great) and putting down plastic turf.

My garden is 50 percent wild.
And I don't mow the rest regularly.
Right now it's full of clover.

I have a big ragwort plant in the front which had 30 cinnabar moth caterpillars on it last week.

This year I've seen comma, speckled wood and meadow brown in back garden. They stop for the clover mainly.

I hate sterile Gardens

These are the cinnabar on the ragwort.

The_Arbiter · 14 Jul 2022 at 11:00

When i first moved here there was a moth about 4cm long, never seen anything like it. The garden was a jungle, bind weed and brambles galore. I just cleared about 8m square of ragwort from this year that got almost 2m high, i'm going to leave a few bits of it now after reading this though. I've just got a new freebie compost bin to rehouse the slow worms.

I haven't seen any may bugs in a few years either.

413x · 14 Jul 2022 at 11:04

The_Arbiter said:
When i first moved here there was a moth about 4cm long, never seen anything like it. The garden was a jungle, bind weed and brambles galore. I just cleared about 8m square of ragwort from this year that got almost 2m high, i'm going to leave a few bits of it now after reading this though. I've just got a new freebie compost bin to rehouse the slow worms.

I haven't seen any may bugs in a few years either.

Ragwort is amazing if you can leave some. It flowers for so long. Looks quite nice (I think) and helps pollinators a lot.

Even one plant can be home to a whole load of cinnabar!

What did the moth look like?

FYI. This is what a cinnabar looks like. And what you will be helping keeping ragwort.

It's a cute day moth. So You will see them about during the day.

Richie · 14 Jul 2022 at 13:48

I have been setting a section of my back garden up to be wild... It's not huge (about 8-10m² section) and is fully bare to the soil ready for wildflower seeding later this year/early next year. Hopefully it will establish and help out the insect population a little.

Also have a couple of bird boxes up (one was used within days of putting it up)

Looking forward to seeing it next year...

robfosters · 14 Jul 2022 at 13:53

D3K said:
Watched a moth bounce around the kitchen window while doing the dishes last night. It kept battering off a spider's web, not sure why it wouldn't stick. Spider was keen to catch it though. Took about 10 attempts to pin it, and even then it was still wriggling free of the cocoon the spider kept trying to spin on it. Eventually wrapped it up and spider took off into the corner to add it to the pantry. Fascinating.

That’s clever, how did you train it to do the dishes?