We ask the experts about a fly and moth infestation that annoys many people in Arizona.
PHOENIX (3TV / CBS 5) – On our Facebook page for the Arizona Weather Department, we keep getting the same question from viewers across the valley. People want to know: why are there so many flies and moths this year? It seems a lot worse than normal.
We all know the monsoons are much more active this year than it was last year. But the question remains: are therefore flies, moths and mosquitoes omnipresent?
“I pulled it around like that and I looked down and there was like a whole moth in my hair, like here, like whole; he was dead,” said Barbara Smith of Phoenix.
Luke Flip at Apache Junction uses sticky mousetraps to catch insects (left) and Cathy Simonson Hoyt says her daughter’s house in East Mesa had traps full of insects.
Smith isn’t the only Phoenician with moth enema this month. “There are moths everywhere. They were on the outside of our windows, they came into the house. They are on the outside of my car. There was one in my car yesterday,” said Melissa Coble of Phoenix.
It seems to be an ongoing issue for people across the country. Smith tweeted about her experience.
And she is not alone. The Arizona family has seen reactions all over social media. One tweet said, “Downtown Phoenix is plagued by moths.” And it’s the same story in Mesa, the Verde Valley, and more.
An expert from the University of Arizona blames the monsoons for the bedbugs. “Last year the conditions were so harsh. It was very dry, it was very hot. We haven’t seen a lot of insects in the last few years,” said Gene Hall, manager of the University of Arizona Insect Collection.
And this year the opposite is the case, because the beetles have enough food. “The moths that I get a lot of inquiries about are species tied to mesquite,” Hall said. “And caterpillars feed on mesquite leaves.
So what’s the best way to keep the pests out? He says it’s as easy as flipping a switch. “As soon as the sun comes up, we’ll try to turn off all the lights,” added Coble.
“Light is just something they love, so we live a very holistic lifestyle with candles and the like,” said Smith.
Hall also said that these creatures are always here, but many times a year they hide and they just aren’t always active like they are now which is why we see more of them.
More information on this from the University of Arizona can be found here.
