Do Colorado miller moths eat clothing?
The Colorado Sun partners with Gigafact to investigate viral claims
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No.
The tan metamorphosed insects with wings resembling the Army’s desert camouflage uniforms have invaded and annoyed people in the state, as they do every summer. But they do not wreak destruction on our wardrobes.
Miller moths do not feed or lay eggs in homes, either, according to Colorado State University Extension bug experts. The moths’ main goal since emerging from their past lives as army cutworms is to reproduce.
The moths, researchers say, are essential to the environment, pollinating flowers and serving as food for bats and birds.
That doesn’t mean the insects aren’t a nuisance. Besides their irritating abundance as they migrate from eastern Colorado to the Front Range, the bugs can leave stains from a fluid they excrete. Their dead bodies, in large numbers, can also give off an unpleasant odor. Peak moth season lasts about six weeks starting in late May or early June.
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