MILLER MOTH OR OUTSIDE MOTH CONTROL

    This article is about OUTSIDE MOTH control.
It will explain why they are a pest and what
needs to be done for controlling infestations.
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   There are many types of moths which can become a nuisance
around outside lights. Commonly known as Miller Moths, there
are actually many different species which appear during the 
warmer months of the year. The scope of this article is not
intended to identify these species nor offer in depth
biological information about any one type. Instead, we will 
concern ourselves with why these flying insects are a problem 
in and around the home and then offer ways to control local 
infestations.
   Miller Moths started to become a problem for man as soon
as we began taking artificial light outside. This was done
for much the same reason it is done today; light enabled
people to see outside when it was dark. Though street
lights rarely create problems involving moths, entrance
lamps, patio and doorway lighting along with any decorative
lights placed just outside the home, can become the focal
point of a never ending supply of night time flyers. Such
flyers include mosquitoes, gnats, katydids, wasps, beetles
and mayflies. However, the most common nuisance night time
flyer is undoubtedly the Moth.
   Similar to butterflies, moths are actually the adult stage
of an insect which hatched from an egg. The first stage is
a worm or caterpillar which generally can be seen early
in spring. Many species will readily infest gardens or
specific plants and after getting their full of required
vegetation, they will spin a cocoon in which they change
or undergo metamorphosis. This change can take a week, a
month or maybe even a whole year. In the end, the cocoon
will hatch the adult moth which takes to wing and flies
about the night sky. Many local moths around the world
acquired the nickname "Miller Moth" because they have a
powdery dust-like material on them which reminded people of
the dust found on the clothing of the local Miller. Virtually
all moths are attracted to light. In nature, moths use 
the light of the stars and moon as a way to navigate.
They typically fly with the light of the sky always
above them. This gives them the ability to sense their
direction and path. However, when man made light is
present, it will usually overpower the moon and stars.
This brighter light will draw the attention of any
passing moth which is when the "confusion" begins. Moths
will then fly toward the artificial light believing
it is the natural light from the sky. As it flies past
the light, the light will keep getting behind the moth.
This will cause it to turn back over and over again 
in a never ending effort to get the light above it. 
The moths believe they must have this light positioned
above them in order to navigate properly and have no
idea the light is man made. This should help explain why 
you see moths flying around and around outside lights. 
They are simply confused and though they mean no harm, 
they can be very annoying and bothersome. Since many 
species live for long periods of time, you could be 
attracting moths which will come around your porch 
light every night and eventually decide to make this 
area their home. 
   Since moths rely on their sense of smell for mating
and reproduction, one moth active around a light will
generally lead to several. This is because the pheromone
of any one female moth is very strong and can attract
males for miles. If you get a female moth flying and
banging up against the side of your home, her scent
could persist for weeks and months long after she is
either gone or dead. This scent will many times attract
males with one thing on their mind. So strong is this
urge that they will literally "camp out" waiting for her to
return. Expect to see moths hiding in cracks along
house siding, under the light fixture and up under the
soffits of the overhang. Spot lights which are placed
high up under soffits offer all the protection any moth
needs from the rain and wind and most find this area
quite comfortable. Unfortunately, such populations will
often times lead to mating and egg laying right on 
the building. If there is a ready supply of vegetation
close by, expect the moth larva to start feeding on it
as soon as they hatch. This could turn out to be some
prized flower or shrub so in general you don't want
moths laying eggs on and around the home.
   Once you start getting moths spending their days
roosting on the side of your home, expect to find some
finding their way inside. Common areas where they will
start to appear will be in garages, mud rooms, patios
and crawl spaces. Though seemingly harmless, their
roosting will almost always lead to mating and egg laying.
Furthermore, their wing dust can create a mess. Many
people have allergies to this dust and high levels in
living areas should be avoided. And since their young
will forage on such a wide range of common household
fibers and fabrics, damage from hatching larva could
occur most anywhere in the home. For these reasons,
it is best to keep outside populations to a minimum.
This can be accomplished with a wide range of products.
The key is identifying which one is best suited for
your application needs.
   For mild levels of activity, there are two types of
aerosols which will provide good control. PT565XLO is
a good material for treating the air where moths are
flying. It will provide a quick knockdown of any moths
which are flying around and is an excellent choice for
space spraying enclosed patios, garages, living rooms
and other areas of the home where moths have been seen.
It is safe enough to be applied with people in the home
and re-entry time is just a few minutes. Though it
won't provide any residual, it can be applied daily or
as needed. It can also be used outside for small
areas. Since it will work on mosquitoes, gnats and other
nuisance pests, 565XLO has many applications. If you 
have a light or two around the outside of the home on
which moths are collecting, get PT-MICROCARE. This
aerosol uses the same active ingredient as the 565XLO.
However, the key difference is that it encapsulates
the active so that it will provide residual. This is
important when having to treat surfaces on which insects
will be returning. Residual means you will have something
around after you treat so that retreatments will not
have to be quite as frequent. Generally speaking, one
application should last about a week. PT-Microcare will
not work as quick as the 565XLO when first applied, but 
it can be used as a space spray. For this reason it is 
best to use the 565XLO when you need to treat open air 
spaces only and the Microcare for when you need to treat 
around outside or inside lights where moths are gathering.
Like the 565XLO, PT-Microcare is very safe and people and
pets can re-enter treated rooms within 5-10 minutes
following a treatment or when the treatment dries. Another
product you may consider is FLYING INSECT KILLER. It
should be used like the 565 but it does have a fews subtle
differences. First, it uses a different active which is
more active on moths. Second, it is somewhat stronger and
consequently has a slight more odor. Most importantly, its
water based. This is a big difference from the other two
oil based products. Water based aerosols are less likely
to leave visible marks or residues and generally less
likely to react with treated surfaces. This could be an
issue if you are treating around sensitive fabric or
other surfaces you don't want to stain or change color.
   If you have large populations of moths congregating
around the outside of the home and using the house to
reside during the day, the use of liquid concentrates
will better serve your needs. These are concentrates
which are mixed with water and sprayed over the siding,
soffits, around light fixtures and basically anywhere
moths are landing and roosting. CYFLUTHRIN is a good
material for this type of application. It is odorless,
works well on all species of moths and will last
3-5 weeks per application. This means you won't have to
apply it nearly as often as the aerosols. Apply it
with one of our SPRAYERS. Cyfluthrin will go to work
immediately killing off any which are sprayed. It's
residual works well at killing off those that choose
to roost on treated surfaces and it has a natural
repellency which tends to keep moths away. In most
cases you will see an immediate reduction of local
activity and far less moths coming around during
the night. You will probably have to treat once every
2-3 weeks for the first month or so until local levels
are reduced to a level you can tolerate and then monthly
treatments should keep them in check. If you don't want
to spend this much time spraying, use the INSECTA RESIDUAL.
This product is very unique in that applications can last
up to a year. This is because the product is based in a
clear liquid latex that is either sprayed or painted over
surfaces you want to protect. It will work the best 
when applied to non-porous surfaces but can be used on
cement or other porous siding. It works well on many
pests and will provide long residual. When homes are
treated in the spring, its long lasting residual will
provide moth control for the whole season and since
it works on so many types of insects, perimeter
invading nuisance pests will all be kept minimized 
following its use. Apply it with one of our Sprayers
or a paint brush for even control and precise disbursement.
   In addition to the chemical treatments which are detailed
above, there are two types of mechanical controls which can
be implemented as well. The HAND HELD ZAPPER is a small
device which is able to charge a large grid with
electricity. Once charged, merely touching any moth will
kill it on contact. This device is fun to use and takes
the mess out of any quick kill when you have a nuisance
moth that won't go away. Just push the small activation
button located on its handle and then place it over
a moth which has landed or hold it out where one is
flying. Once the targeted insect touches the grid it
will become paralyzed and die in a moment. Clean up
is easy. Just dump the carcass in the garbage or out
in the yard for recycling. Since the Hand Held Zapper is
a great tool for Mosquitoes, Wasps, Bees, Roaches and
Spiders, it has many uses in and around the home.
The second option is to install one of our traps. Since
Miller Moths are attracted to light, there are two
special traps that have been designed to deal with
them when they start to nest around the home. Since
the traditional "bug zappers" don't have enough 
electrical power to get through the protective
dust covering found on Miller Moths, a more direct
killing approach was needed. Our 110 VOLT INSECT LIGHT TRAP
or our 12 VOLT INSECT LIGHT TRAP were created for just
this need. They feature spinning heavy monofilament which
will shred insects attracted to the light. If you have
standard power nearby, the 110 volt is wired and ready
to go. Just plug it in, hang it out and keep all other
lights out to get the maximum effect. Local moths will
forage over and get chopped up as they fly near the light.
You may want to set a box or garbage pail under the trap
if you have a lot of moths around the property and anticipate
a lot getting killed. This will make cleanup easy. If you
don't have a ready supply of power, the 12 volt unit may
be better suited for you needs. Either will help to reduce
this pest dramatically making for a lot less of them
hanging around and nesting.

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