If you’ve spent any amount of time on your porch in New Mexico this month, you may have noticed one insect has dramatically announced its appearance in recent weeks.
Millions of moths — Miller moths, that is — have emerged from hibernation this month, much to the dismay of New Mexicans everywhere.
Erin/Flickr Clouds of these insects have been spotted around the state, including in Albuquerque and Las Cruces.
And when we say clouds, we mean clouds.
ValenZero/YouTube Check out this screenshot from a video posted by YouTube content creator ValenZero. This footage was taken by the East Mountains and is the perfect reminder to shut off your porch lights at night. Looks like something out of a horror movie, doesn’t it? Watch the remainder of the video at this link, if you dare.
Miller moths look like your run-of-the-mill moth.
Whitney Cranshaw/Wikimedia Commons Also called army cutworms, they range in color from gray to brown and are relatively small insects.
John Formby, a forest health program manager, told the Santa Fe New Mexican that the state currently has the perfect conditions for all these insects to emerge at once.
Frank Peairs/Wikimedia Commons A wet 2019 plus the right temperatures have caused them to wake from their hibernation to feed off flowers, mate, and migrate.
Thankfully, these particular insects are more of a nuisance than destructive.
zol starym/YouTube Miller moths may manage to find their way into your house or car or just give you a good fright on your porch one night, but they won’t eat up your winter sweaters or destroy your plants in droves. They do look positively scary in hordes at night though.
You can also rest assured they won’t be here forever.
lostinfog/Flickr For the next few weeks, Miller moths will eventually begin migrating for higher elevations and to the east into Texas, Oklahoma, and other nearby states.
Have you seen these moths in your area? How do you typically deal with them?
Erin/Flickr
Clouds of these insects have been spotted around the state, including in Albuquerque and Las Cruces.
ValenZero/YouTube
Check out this screenshot from a video posted by YouTube content creator ValenZero. This footage was taken by the East Mountains and is the perfect reminder to shut off your porch lights at night. Looks like something out of a horror movie, doesn’t it? Watch the remainder of the video at this link, if you dare.
Whitney Cranshaw/Wikimedia Commons
Also called army cutworms, they range in color from gray to brown and are relatively small insects.
Frank Peairs/Wikimedia Commons
A wet 2019 plus the right temperatures have caused them to wake from their hibernation to feed off flowers, mate, and migrate.
zol starym/YouTube
Miller moths may manage to find their way into your house or car or just give you a good fright on your porch one night, but they won’t eat up your winter sweaters or destroy your plants in droves. They do look positively scary in hordes at night though.
lostinfog/Flickr
For the next few weeks, Miller moths will eventually begin migrating for higher elevations and to the east into Texas, Oklahoma, and other nearby states.
In need of a brain cleanser after all those photos of insects? Check out a short video of New Mexico’s lovely Sierra Blanca Mountains to enjoy some gorgeous views. Read more and watch the video in A Drone Flew High Above Mountains In New Mexico And Caught The Most Incredible Footage.
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