Doubtless Elaine Peters’ heart was in the right place about the need to protect our moth populations and other pollinating insects, but much of what she wrote merely enhances entomological ignorance. For example, “Giant Silk moths pollinate 80 percent of our crops…” In fact, the Giant Silk moths, the common name given to moths of the family Saturniidae—which on Long Island would include Actias luna, Antheraea polyphemus, Callosamia promethea, Automeris io and Hyalophora cecropia—do not pollinate any plants at all as the adult form lives for a fortnight and has no mouthparts in which to feed and, as a consequence, does not visit flowering plants. Too, “the Gypsy moth plagues farmyards” is also misleading as the Gypsy moth larvae feed upon a wide variety of trees one might find in a park, forest or backyard—only a few of which might have agricultural significance.
Whilst “light pollution” constitutes a problem for moths, pesticides and the clearing of trees is a far greater danger and, that notwithstanding, a few moths, like Samia cynthia, actually do better in urban areas because of it, and its foodplant—the leaves of the Ailanthus tree—enjoy the slightly warmer winters.
The best thing we can do to assist pollinating insects in the suburbs is to stop liberal use of insecticide and stop mowing the weeds in vacant lots and sumps where grow their larval foodplants.
Paul Manton
