Moths, flies, mosquitoes, oh my! Arizonans complain of insect invasion
By FRANKIE MCLISTER
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PHOENIX, AZ (KTVK, KPHO) — On Arizona’s Weather Authority Facebook page, we keep getting the same question from viewers all over the Valley. People want to know: why are there so many flies and moths around this year? It seems a lot worse than normal.
We all know that this year’s monsoon is far more active than last year’s. But the question remains: is that the reason why flies, moths, and mosquitoes are all over the place?
“I pulled it around like this, and I looked down and there was like a whole moth in my hair, like right about here, like whole; he was dead” said Phoenix resident Barbara Smith.
Smith isn’t the only Phoenician with a moth run-in this month. “There are moths everywhere. They were on the outside of our windows, they were getting in the house. They’re on the outside of my car. There was one inside of my car yesterday” said Phoenix resident Melissa Coble.
It seems to be an ongoing issue for people all across the state. Smith tweeted about her experience.
And she’s not alone. Arizona’s Family has seen reactions all over social media. One tweet says, “Downtown Phoenix is being 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 bugs on the monsoon. “Last year the conditions were so harsh. It was very dry; it was very hot. We didn’t see great numbers of insects the last couple of years,” said Gene Hall, the manager for the University of Arizona Insect Collection.
And this year, it’s the opposite because the bugs have plenty of food. “The moths that I’m getting a lot of inquiries about are species that are tied to mesquite,” said Hall. “And caterpillars feed off Mesquite leaves. Mesquite is doing great right now.”
So, what’s the best way to keep the pests away? He says it’s as easy as the flip of a switch. “As soon as the sun goes up, we try and turn off all of the lights,” Coble added.
“Light is just something they love so we’ve been living a very holistic lifestyle with candles and stuff like that,” said Smith.
Hall also said that these creatures are always here, but many times of year, they hide and they’re just not always active like right now, which is why we’re seeing more of them around.
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