Day-flying moths in moth traps (1 Viewer)

Tiraya

San Diego CA

• Jul 23, 2015

• #1

I'd be interested in hearing about any stories of moths that are usually day-flying ending up in traps. Thanks to the other thread I know that butterflies, dragonflies and all sorts can turn up.

Anyone had beautiful yellow underwing, hummingbird hawk moths, chimney sweepers, mother shipton, burnet moths, or other day-flying moths in the traps?

 

davidg

Well-known member

• Jul 23, 2015

• #2

I've had the following: Hummingbird HM once, Pyrausta aurata regularly and Nemophora degeerella occasionally

David

 

MSA

I may be relaxed but I'm not drunk....

• Jul 23, 2015

• #3

Bordered White are pretty regular, never more than two at a time.
Silver Y regular (but they are mixed day/night fliers).
Cinnabar once.

 

Paul Chapman

Well-known member

• Jul 23, 2015

• #4

Definitions are clearly tricky here as to what is day-flying. I know a couple of authors who got to the starting position of considering a book on Day-flying Moths and it never got beyond that because so many will actually also fly by day as well.

That said - Beautiful Yellow Underwing and Hummingbird Hawk-moth - yes. Never a burnet, chimney sweeper, mother shipton or burnet companion that I can recall. Scarce Forester that I have heard of but not personally. No other Foresters though. I wonder whether the Scarce may have climbed up in the morning to the trap in the same way as caterpillars climb around rather than flying at night.

All the best

 

KenM

Well-known member

• Jul 23, 2015

• #5

Cinnabar on 30th June this year.

Cheers

 

Paul Chapman

Well-known member

• Jul 23, 2015

• #6

I do get Cinnabar and Vapourer to light on a regular basis.

All the best

 

Tiraya

San Diego CA

• Jul 23, 2015

• #7

Paul Chapman said:

Definitions are clearly tricky here as to what is day-flying. I know a couple of authors who got to the starting position of considering a book on Day-flying Moths and it never got beyond that because so many will actually also fly by day as well.

That said - Beautiful Yellow Underwing and Hummingbird Hawk-moth - yes. Never a burnet, chimney sweeper, mother shipton or burnet companion that I can recall. Scarce Forester that I have heard of but not personally. No other Foresters though. I wonder whether the Scarce may have climbed up in the morning to the trap in the same way as caterpillars climb around rather than flying at night.

All the best

Click to expand...

True enough. For this purposes of this thread I'd say any moth that is associated with being diurnal and not traditionally known as a species you set up a trap to find. Interesting thread so far...

It seems that diurnal insects are attracted to light to different reasons than nocturnal moths (light source rather than navigation or whatever the current theory is on nocturnal moths), but if it is a diurnal moth I wonder if it is attracted to light for the same reason as nocturnal spp. for that navigation instinct or the same reasons as other diurnal insects in that it is just a light source.

 

A

aflickering

Well-known member

• Jul 27, 2015

• #8

while driving along in the middle of the night in france a hummingbird hawkmoth once flew in through the car window. not sure if it was attracted by light or just a coincidence.