@melonscoop Miller moths are the adult army cutworm. We get them really bad in the spring here in Nebraska. Haven’t been too bad this year with how cool its been.
@kjady@melonscoop We always had a lot of millers when I was a kid (in Montana). Or at least it felt like a lot. I’m not sure what to compare to anymore.
Anyway, this is the first I’ve heard of what they grow from. (Somehow I’d never thought to wonder about that.) But looking at the fountain of all truth and Brawndo, I don’t remember seeing very many caterpillars looking like that.
Okay, I have to correct myself. I did see a fair number of caterpillars that look like that. But not as many as I would expect to account for the number of millers flying around every night.
Wiki says they usually hide in soil during daylight, eating at night or on cloudy days. That makes it all fit together.
Maybe I should go back to bed (or drink less Brawndo). My thinker isn’t thinkering very well today.
Anyway, thanks @kjady, for solving a [childhood] mystery that I’d forgotten all about.
Army cutworms are one of the richest foods for predators, such as brown bears, in this ecosystem, where up to 72% of the moth’s body weight is fat, thus making it more calorie-rich than elk or deer. This is the highest known body fat percentage of any animal.
Now you know. And knowing is a large, non-majority portion of the battle.
/giphy g.i. joe
@kjady@Kyeh@melonscoop@xobzoo Bears are, well, “smarter than your average bear” (which will raise the average over time). They know the seasons for various foods including the weekly buffet called “garbage can day.”
Now I’m curious how/where bears catch the moths. Do they find them dormant on the undersides of leaves or something? Or do they catch them out of the air?
Just something to distract me today.
Fairly related, I might have to amend my expectation/realization above of why we saw more moths than caterpillars …
Reading the article Kyeh sent, it indicates that the moth form migrates… so maybe we just lived on a migration path, and never saw the actual worms caterpillars?
Who came up with this crappy color?
I have two of these from Costco. One is the older model with a fluorescent bulb + a spare but no trap door and no brush. They work fine, which is why I bought the second uniThe old ball-chain is very sensitive, so getting a serving unit to cut down in the pitching and complaints was we’ll worth it.
On the fence about getting a third one.
Will yet another unit eliminate the all the piising & moraing?
@PhysAssist Two more typos on my phone late at night.
• ball and chain
an affectionate reference to my beloved wife.
If I recall correctly, Christopher Walken uses it in the classic SNL Census Taker skit with Tim Meadows.
• pissing
“pissing & moaning” as in complaining.
Not to be confused with pissing the night away. Cf. Tubthumping by Chumbawamba.
Sheesh!
I hope we’re done with all the eagle-eyed proofreaders and their blue pencils.
@olsmeister Eh, we’re from Wisconsin and my family had a ski house in Bessemer - we know from snow and cold (not that there was a lot of that last winter).
Not nearly as effective, if you have a large spider population around. They will look at this as an all you can eat buffet, and find their way inside to chow down, as well as spin webs around the outside. I literally have to clean the outside of mine 2x/week, for that reason!
So, I’m with others here who bought these a couple years ago, but discontinued use because all they do is suck in moths, which are not actually a problem…
We somehow get a few mosquitos in our house in the summer months, and while they don’t like my blood they love my wife’s. If I hung this outside our bedroom door, say 15 feet away, would that make things better or worse? (AFAIK they are not entering through our bedroom doors or windows. It is a mystery where they’re coming from.)
@dpease I’d sooner spend some time and money solving that mystery. Your utility might offer a free or subsidized home energy audit, which can help you figure out where any gaps are that are letting outside things in. Perhaps a pest control consult would be worthwhile too, if they’re actually breeding inside.
Unfortunately, mosquitos are generally indifferent to UV light. And this is an LED light, so it’s not even generating a ton of heat, which does attract mosquitos. You’re going to attract lots of moths and potentially beneficial bugs, but it’s not gonna do much to reduce the skeeter problem.
@danN58
From the product page:
“DynaTrap generates carbon dioxide, mimicking human breath, which is a primary attractant for mosquitoes
By emitting warmth, light, and carbon dioxide, DynaTrap effectively lures and traps a broad spectrum of flying insects…”
I’d like someone to explain in what way it generates and releases CO2, and what is the net affect of whatever amount it releases daily on global warming/climate change?
@PhysAssist Hmmm. A little internet research indicates that they claim, or used to claim, that the traps have a unique Ti02 coating that catalyzes organics in the air into trace amounts of C02 in the presence of UV light. But reading the product descriptions on their current line, I find no mention of that. So, was that found to be ineffective? Did they stop using the coating? Seems as though if it worked, they’d be more upfront about it? So, I dunno.
On the topic of weird natural insect control, at a certain time of year at sunset, I have bats (no, not my own; they were already here). They will just zip around and apparently they scoop up mosquitos.
The problem with UV based bug zappers or traps? Mosquitos DON’T CARE. They are attracted to body heat and the CO² we exhale in our breath.
In the case of this device, they aren’t zapped to death, just shoved downwards with a fan until they dehydrate and die. But when you empty it or a zapper type device, you won’t see but very few mosquitos. (Probably stupid ones who accidentally strayed into the zapper)
The only devices that work for mosquitos emits CO² with a cartridge and are driven by propane fuel. They aren’t cheap either, at least a C note for price. And… cartridges to buy as well as fuel to run it.
@user06258054 I agree. I’ve lived in the tropics and been able to observe bug zappers in the midst of mangrove swamps - the mosquitos completely ignore them.
Specs
Product: DynaTrap XL Insect Trap 1/2 Acre with Extended Life UV LED Bulb
Model: F13873850000
Condition: New
What’s Included?
Warranty
90 days
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, Jun 12 - Monday, Jun 16
Includes a brush for sweeping up the corpses? So thoughtful but the help has their own tools.
Not the best tasting, but does the job.
The page loaded right up when I tried it at 10:01 MDT!
@Kyeh They finally got @mediocrebot to stop drinking so many margaritas.
@yakkoTDI someone(thing) needs to test and see if all these products can make a margarita
In before someone says DynaCRAP amirite?!
We have two of these. Works great, especially on millers.
@kjady Good to know that they work for you. What are millers?
@kjady @melonscoop
@melonscoop Miller moths are the adult army cutworm. We get them really bad in the spring here in Nebraska. Haven’t been too bad this year with how cool its been.
@kjady @melonscoop We always had a lot of millers when I was a kid (in Montana). Or at least it felt like a lot. I’m not sure what to compare to anymore.
Anyway, this is the first I’ve heard of what they grow from. (Somehow I’d never thought to wonder about that.) But looking at the fountain of all truth and Brawndo, I don’t remember
seeing very many caterpillars looking like that.Okay, I have to correct myself. I did see a fair number of caterpillars that look like that.
But not as many as I would expect to account for the number of millers flying around every night.Wiki says they usually hide in soil during daylight, eating at night or on cloudy days. That makes it all fit together.
Maybe I should go back to bed (or drink less Brawndo). My thinker isn’t thinkering very well today.
Anyway, thanks @kjady, for solving a [childhood] mystery that I’d forgotten all about.
In bonus factoids for the day,
Now you know. And knowing is a large, non-majority portion of the battle.
/giphy g.i. joe
@kjady @melonscoop @xobzoo
I was fascinated to find out that bears feast on Miller moths!
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/08/grizzly-bears-eat-moths-wyoming
Hah-simultaneous posting …
And they eat them in moth form, evidently. Not as worms/grubs.
@kjady @Kyeh @melonscoop @xobzoo Bears are, well, “smarter than your average bear” (which will raise the average over time). They know the seasons for various foods including the weekly buffet called “garbage can day.”
@kjady @Kyeh @melonscoop @pmarin I’ve shared this once before around here somewhere, but it’s still fitting. And someone might not have seen it before…
Now I’m curious how/where bears catch the moths. Do they find them dormant on the undersides of leaves or something? Or do they catch them out of the air?
Just something to distract me today.
Fairly related, I might have to amend my expectation/realization above of why we saw more moths than caterpillars …
Reading the article Kyeh sent, it indicates that the moth form migrates… so maybe we just lived on a migration path, and never saw the actual
wormscaterpillars?@kjady @melonscoop Their neighbors?
@xobzoo I found the answer! They dig for them where they’re snoozing under rocks in scree fields high in the mountains!
https://www.tiktok.com/@jeffhyer/video/7260135744822627590
Specs say 1/2 acre, description says an acre. Which is it?
@tinkertime It’s 1/2 acre - thanks
@tinkertime Realistically, probably ~50 sq. ft.
Sorry, but the crackling of a regular bug zapper is the best part.
@brennyn and the flying bits of their bodies are just added protein boost if it’s around your food!
pro-tip:
put this thing as far away as your extension cord will allow- it attracts insects and you really don’t want it anywhere near your house.
really.
@alacrity Be careful around gardens too.Protect the pollintors!
@kjady
“Pollinators”
@kjady @PhysAssist yes, those as well.
Where are the pictures showing dead bugs? If you don’t show the dead bugs, who are we supposed to be convinced that it works? I want revenge!
@hchavers Me too!
Yes!
I definitely want a half acre’s worth of dead bugs for my disposal.
@phendrick ROTFLMAO!
Who came up with this crappy color?
I have two of these from Costco. One is the older model with a fluorescent bulb + a spare but no trap door and no brush. They work fine, which is why I bought the second uniThe old ball-chain is very sensitive, so getting a serving unit to cut down in the pitching and complaints was we’ll worth it.
On the fence about getting a third one.
Will yet another unit eliminate the all the piising & moraing?
@crudgy It’s the moraing that really gets to me.
@cinoclav Typo. moaning
@crudgy
WTF, dude:
“uniThe old ball-chain is very sensitive, so getting a serving unit to cut down in the pitching and complaints was we’ll worth it.”
…and “piising”
I mean, I think I parsed it out correctly, but c’mon…
@PhysAssist Two more typos on my phone late at night.
• ball and chain
an affectionate reference to my beloved wife.
If I recall correctly, Christopher Walken uses it in the classic SNL Census Taker skit with Tim Meadows.
• pissing
“pissing & moaning” as in complaining.
Not to be confused with pissing the night away. Cf. Tubthumping by Chumbawamba.
Sheesh!
I hope we’re done with all the eagle-eyed proofreaders and their blue pencils.
@crudgy Before someone gives me a hard time for yet another late night typo:
uniThe → one. The
We just got to the UP of Michigan on Sunday and will be here until next spring. If this works, our stay just improved considerably. If not, we tried.
@LinnE Speaking as someone who lives here year-round… enjoy next winter!
@LinnE
Also known as Stolen Wisconsin!
@olsmeister Eh, we’re from Wisconsin and my family had a ski house in Bessemer - we know from snow and cold (not that there was a lot of that last winter).
Not nearly as effective, if you have a large spider population around. They will look at this as an all you can eat buffet, and find their way inside to chow down, as well as spin webs around the outside. I literally have to clean the outside of mine 2x/week, for that reason!
Aren’t we robbing the birds of a meal with this
Nick Cage with a bug zapper and no one mentions it?!…. NOT THE BEES, NOT THE BEES AHHHHHHHHHH
@bugdave
I got one of these 2 years ago, really effective at catching moths… pretty bad at catching anything else tho
really disappointing
So, I’m with others here who bought these a couple years ago, but discontinued use because all they do is suck in moths, which are not actually a problem…
We’ve got a spot in backwoods Wisconsin and our one with the fluorescent bulb caught a ton of skeeters. But yes, it’s a good moth trap as well.
We somehow get a few mosquitos in our house in the summer months, and while they don’t like my blood they love my wife’s. If I hung this outside our bedroom door, say 15 feet away, would that make things better or worse? (AFAIK they are not entering through our bedroom doors or windows. It is a mystery where they’re coming from.)
@dpease I’d sooner spend some time and money solving that mystery. Your utility might offer a free or subsidized home energy audit, which can help you figure out where any gaps are that are letting outside things in. Perhaps a pest control consult would be worthwhile too, if they’re actually breeding inside.
@acestarflyer @dpease you let your pest control consultant breed inside your house?
Unfortunately, mosquitos are generally indifferent to UV light. And this is an LED light, so it’s not even generating a ton of heat, which does attract mosquitos. You’re going to attract lots of moths and potentially beneficial bugs, but it’s not gonna do much to reduce the skeeter problem.
@danN58
From the product page:
“DynaTrap generates carbon dioxide, mimicking human breath, which is a primary attractant for mosquitoes
By emitting warmth, light, and carbon dioxide, DynaTrap effectively lures and traps a broad spectrum of flying insects…”
I’d like someone to explain in what way it generates and releases CO2, and what is the net affect of whatever amount it releases daily on global warming/climate change?
@PhysAssist Hmmm. A little internet research indicates that they claim, or used to claim, that the traps have a unique Ti02 coating that catalyzes organics in the air into trace amounts of C02 in the presence of UV light. But reading the product descriptions on their current line, I find no mention of that. So, was that found to be ineffective? Did they stop using the coating? Seems as though if it worked, they’d be more upfront about it? So, I dunno.
Coming up next week… survival protein bars made with electrocuted bugs.
On the topic of weird natural insect control, at a certain time of year at sunset, I have bats (no, not my own; they were already here). They will just zip around and apparently they scoop up mosquitos.
@pmarin Lucky you!
The problem with UV based bug zappers or traps? Mosquitos DON’T CARE. They are attracted to body heat and the CO² we exhale in our breath.
In the case of this device, they aren’t zapped to death, just shoved downwards with a fan until they dehydrate and die. But when you empty it or a zapper type device, you won’t see but very few mosquitos. (Probably stupid ones who accidentally strayed into the zapper)
The only devices that work for mosquitos emits CO² with a cartridge and are driven by propane fuel. They aren’t cheap either, at least a C note for price. And… cartridges to buy as well as fuel to run it.
@user06258054 I agree. I’ve lived in the tropics and been able to observe bug zappers in the midst of mangrove swamps - the mosquitos completely ignore them.
“AI” is also an Insect Trap. Well, for insect sized brains.
@DrunkCat Even if you are insect sized you will have to do better than that to win them back.
SOLD OUT?! Booooo.
QVC has them for $60 though…