Comments on: Why do moths come out at night?

By: Catherine

Catherine — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 22:14:49 +0000

I have a question about a moth that I’ve currently got in my room… pretty big, don’t know the species, but it’s night and it appears to be sleeping, and hasn’t been drawn to any light since I found it. In fact, I found it under my bed… (By the way It’s British…) any thoughts on this?

By: Maria Jennifer Banks

Maria Jennifer Banks — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 08:40:41 +0000

Maria has LEFT the building.

By: Maria Jennifer Banks

Maria Jennifer Banks — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 08:39:39 +0000

Jon, Jon, Jon. Great answer, but COMPLETELY false.

Moths have a part of their brain which is instinctively drawn to light, and so moths are drawn to light.

Nice try, but step back, stop guessing, and let the professionals do their work, instead of amateurs like you trying to do their work for them, OK?

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 11:35:26 +0000

Good answer Jon, thanks.

Mike there are brightly colored moths nowadays in Sydney Australia but I don’t know why. I’ve never seen them before. They have this very shiny peculiar colors more like pearl green and other pearl colors.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:20:09 +0000

Moths come out at night so the birds don’t see them in the daylight….. and they may also be vampires!

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:17:25 +0000

It seems like Dr. Jon is in the house.

But he may have missed out an important factor.

“To understand this phenomenon, you need to know about phototaxis. Phototaxis is an organism’s automatic movement toward or away from light. Cockroaches are an example of a negatively phototactic organism. You’ve probably noticed how they scurry back into dark corners and crevices when you illuminate their late-night snacking party in your kitchen. Moths are positively phototactic. They seem charmed by your porch light, your headlights or your campfire (even if it leads to their untimely demise). While there is no definitive explanation for this phenomenon, there are some interesting theories.”

As for flies, has anyone noticed an abunandance of brightly coloured ones in the UK this year? Also where do flies sleep then? DO the sleep? This is opening a wormhole of insect debate. Worms too.

By: Jon

Jon — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:30:50 +0000

As for houseflies flying in circles even when the light is off, it’s probably just a coincidence. Flies have excellent vision, when compared with most insects, and their navigation system is actually rather complex. (This is why they are so difficult to catch…..Flies typically fly only during the daytime when they can see the best…)

Their habit of flying around near the center of the room is because it gives them the best view of their surroundings, including potential enemies, mates, or food sources. Coincidentally, this is where the light usually is, whether it on or off…

By: DuckRamen

DuckRamen — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:24:07 +0000

Forget Moths and Light. What I wanna know is why are flies attracted to putrid odours? Why do they lick Sh*t and why do houseflies circle lights in a room? Do flies serve a purpose in this world of ours?

Sorry for going off topic but I’m sitting here in the living room staring at a fly circling the light for 5 minutes. I’m just wondering what the fly gains out of it?

Loving your answer to the Moth question Jon. Now could you shed some light on my fly question?

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:03:44 +0000

Here’s another theory on Moth’s and light.

http://everything2.com/node/927362

Basically the Moths love the moon, and it’s all our fault for making moon like objects which confuse them. I think there is probably more romance in this theory than science. There is no reason to say WHY they like the moon.

But why don’t they appear during the day? The search goes on…

By: Jon

Jon — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:27:38 +0000

i think bright light sources make them go a bit mental