Moth
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly. Most species of moth are only active at night. They can be told apart from butterflies in several ways. Moth antenna look like little feathers, and their wings are held flat on their backs when they are not flying.
[edit] Role of moths in the economy
Moths, specifically their caterpillars, are a major farm pest in many parts of the world. Caterpillars eat the plants that farmers grow and sometimes kill them. The caterpillar of the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) causes great harm to forests in the northeast United States. In warm climates, the diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) is perhaps the most serious pest of cabbage crops.
Several different kinds of moths are commonly regarded as pests because their larvae eat fabric such as clothes and blankets made from natural fibers such as wool or silk. They are less likely to eat fabric containing artificial fibers. There are some reports that they can be repelled by the scent of wood from juniper and cedar trees, by lavender, or by other natural oils. However, many consider this unlikely to prevent moths from living somewhere. Chemicals are the most effective way to keep moths away, however, there are concerns about the chemicals being dangerous to people. Moth larvae are not killed by freezing the items they live in.
Moths are difficult to kill and usually not killed by poisons that work on mosquitoes and flies.
Some moths are farmed. The most important of these is the silkworm. It is farmed for the silk with which it builds its cocoon. The silk industry produces over 130 million kilograms of raw silk, worth about 250 million U.S. dollars, each year.
[edit] Attraction to light
Moths will fly around bright objects, and appear to be attracted to light. Most scientists think that this is because moths use the light of the moon to help them fly in a straight line. The light from lamps confuses the moths.
Night-blooming flowers usually depend on moths (or bats) to pollinate them, and artificial lighting can draw moths away from the flowers, hurting the plant's ability to reproduce.
