Iowa has been invaded by millions of moths, displaced from elsewhere in the U-S by recent rapidly shifting weather fronts. Donald Lewis, an entomologist with the Iowa State University extension, says the inch-long brown moths were carried here in what’s called a “moth blow-in” and there are plenty of them. He says the looper moths have been feeding on the nectar of lilacs, but doing no real harm other than being a nuisance.There are thousands of types of moths and Lewis says these creatures are a very distant cousin to the “clothes moth” which is notorious for nibbling on sweaters and other apparel. He says these moths which have descended upon Iowa in such vast numbers are virtually harmless. He says the looper moths are a common moth in some parts of the country that feed on grass and weeds.Lewis says chemical warfare is -not- needed to win this battle with bugs, so leave the cans of insecticide in the broom closet. He says you should either swat the moths, or capture them and release them back outside.Further good news is that most of the moths will only live about a week and likely will not reproduce offspring inside our homes before they die.
