Moths are an interesting species that we’ve certainly had individual experiences with. Many people often find moths in different places of their homes, as they often fly inside to warm places to keep from the cold. These insects are completely harmless and are often eaten by birds and larger insects as they are completely defenseless.
However, many people find moths lingering around the same spot for a lot of time, for that reason, people wonder: why do moths stay in one place?
Moths live very shortly as a species, so their primary goal is to mate. They usually don’t fly long distances as they’re very vulnerable, and the best way to ensure that they’ll mate is to stay in the same spot where they’ll mate. Moths love warm and dark places where they’ll be kept safe from predators.
However, there are many interesting facts about moths that need to be brought to light. So, if you’re looking to find out more about this species, you’re in the right place. Today, we’ll be answering many questions you may have about moths, and in this article, we’ll be giving you the answers to questions like: where do moths live and how often do moths move.
Let’s get started!
Where Do Moths Live?
When choosing the spot to hang their hat (metaphorically), moths will always look for a peaceful, warm, dark spot. What’s interesting about moths (interesting to us, they’re probably not as amused by the same) is that they’re completely defenseless and they’re at the bottom of the food chain. They don’t have the ability to bite or to pinch like bees or wasps, and they’re often favorite prey to birds, lizards, frogs, and larger insects.
For this reason, moths tend to spend their whole life hiding. Their primary strategy at keeping themselves safe is to stay in a single place where they’re safe, and that place is very often your attic, shed, garage, or basement. Here, they’re safe from birds and lizards, although they’re not safe from spiders.
Their lives are most often short-lived, as most moths live for a very short while. Some moths live for just under a week, and they have to mate and create offspring within that week. For that reason, they’re insistent on keeping their safety.
Moths need safety in their short lives to mate and reproduce
Also, many moths don’t even have mouths. Some scientists argue that they don’t have mouths because they live such short lives, so they don’t have to eat. While others argue that they don’t live long because they can’t eat.
It’s documented that many species of moths (as there are literally thousands and thousands of species of moths) drink nectar from flowers, but there are many moths that don’t eat at all.
Staying in your attic keeps them safe from their biggest predators – birds. Birds love moths, and if they spot one in the wild, the only thing the poor moth can do is try to outrun (or rather outfly) the bird. When running away from birds, a moth will try to run to the first enclosed space it sees.
Moths dread birds
Most insects don’t have brains functional in the way humans do, so it can’t exactly remember that specific entrance to that one specific attic where it has spent the last three days. So, they’ll usually just fly in panic and hope that they’ll notice or bump into a hiding place with an entrance large enough for them to enter, but small enough so that a bird can’t.
Moths are real treats for birds, so it’s likely that no bird will ignore a moth flying around. If you have a house that’s not hermetically sealed, it’s likely that you have moths inside. And even if you keep your house perfectly closed down, it’s still likely that at least one moth flew in when you kept the window or the door open.
How Often Do Moths Move?
Moths don’t move often. Firstly, if you’re asking about migrations, these are very rare. Most moth species stick to the place where they were born until the day they die, but there are a few species that actually migrate, similar to birds. Some moths have been documented to migrate from North Africa to Great Britain, but these species are rare, and most moths don’t migrate.
Moths move as little as possible
There are even species of moth, such as the Belted Beauty, that don’t fly at all. The female moth has no wings at all and does not move far from her pupa case.
When moving from spot to spot, moths are likely to stay in the same spot when they mate, up until they die. They’ll only move if they’re scared off or if they’re looking to mate – aside from that, moths are completely fine with being in the same place for a long time.
Moths will spend a large portion of the day in their hiding spot, and they’ll mostly come out at night. Birds are predominantly day animals, so they’ll be flying around looking for something to eat during the day. For this reason, moths hide during the day.
During the night, however, moths will leave their hiding spot either looking for food or looking to mate. That’s why we always notice them during the night, and the only place we notice them during the day is our own home.
They’re often confused by bright lights during the night, as their eyes function differently from ours, so we can witness them committing accidental suicide by buzzing into the UV light.
