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Q: Moths ( Answered 5 out of 5 stars,   1 Comment )
Question  
Subject: Moths
Category: Family and Home > Home
Asked by: dtnl42-ga
List Price: $10.00
Posted: 17 Aug 2004 14:15 PDT
Expires: 16 Sep 2004 14:15 PDT
Question ID: 389147
Moths are attracted to light, so why do they come out at night, and
not during the day?
Answer  
Subject: Re: Moths
Answered By: juggler-ga on 17 Aug 2004 16:32 PDT
Rated:5 out of 5 stars
 
Hello.

Some scientists reportedly believe that moths have generally evolved
as nocturnal creatures as a way of avoiding birds.   Many birds eats
moths, but insect-eating birds typically do not fly at night.

" But why do moths fly at night in the first place? In fact, there are
many that do fly during the day, but the majority are night-fliers.
Again, there is only a theory for this: it is thought that moths have
adapted to fly at night because birds don't. Birds eat insects of all
types, so it behooves insects to avoid them."
source:
Iain MacLeod, Audubon Society of New Hampshire, N.H. Public Radio 
http://www.nhpr.org/view_content/7023/


The premise of your question seems to be that if moths are drawn to
light, they should be flying around in the daylight when there is
plenty of light.  However, scientists offer several theories on why
some moths are attracted to artificial light at night but not
daylight.  Some suggest that moths use moonlight as a navigation tool
and are thus confused by artificial lights.  Others point out that
moths eat nectar from night-blooming flowers and that such flowers
reflect ultraviolet light from the moon.  Artificial light may have a
similar effect.

See:

"Light is a way in which insects find food. Moths at night are
probably seeking night blooming flowers that reflect ultra violet
light or certain light colors from the moon. The moths recognize the
reflected light as a food source. That means the light may be the way
the recognize food; it is difficult for them to distinguish the light
from a bulb from that of a plant. Others may be active at night to
avoid predators. If you are to look under leaves at night, you will
find some moths who prefer daylight waiting for the sun to return so
they can find food."
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/dec96/843354316.Ev.r.html


Also see:

"How Stuff Works - Why are moths attracted to light?"
http://www.howstuffworks.com/question675.htm

"Why do moths come to light?"
http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/index.html?/species/moth_faqs/004.html

"Why are moths attracted to lights..."
by Dr. James K. Adams, Dalton State College
http://butterflies.freeservers.com/moth_light.html

Desert Museum: Nocturnal Navigators
http://www.desertmuseum.org/education/4-6_Creatures_navigators.pdf

--------------
search strategy:
moths "night because"
moths "night blooming"

I hope this helps.
dtnl42-ga rated this answer:5 out of 5 stars

Comments  
Subject: Re: Moths
From: pinkfreud-ga on 17 Aug 2004 16:58 PDT
 
What a wonderful question! What a great answer!

I love this place. I learn more on Google Answers than I ever learned
in school, and the process is so entertaining that I barely notice
that it's educational.

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