Ruqayyah Snyder
The diet of moths varies depending on their stage of life. In their primal phase, moths possess chewing organs that allow them to eat a variety of things, including hair, fur, paper dust, and natural cloth fibres like wool, cotton, and silk. However, adult moths rarely eat, instead surviving on food stored from their caterpillar stage. Moth larvae, on the other hand, are voracious eaters, consuming leaves from host plants, fungi, rotting wood, feathers, and even bat droppings. In Australia, the Bogong moth is particularly significant, serving as an important food source for both the indigenous people and various animals, including birds, mammals, and fish.
What Australian Moths Eat
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Bogong moth eggs and larvae | Found in self-mulching soils and crop pastures |
| Bogong moth larvae | Feed on wild and agricultural larval food sources in autumn and winter |
| Bogong moth adults | Do not eat |
| Bogong moth pupae | Do not eat |
| Clothes moths | Feed on natural cloth fibres such as wool, cotton, silk, cashmere, and lint |
| Pantry moths | Feed on natural fibres and food products such as flour |
| Moth caterpillars | Feed on fungi, rotting wood, feathers, and bat droppings |
| Moth larvae | Feed on host plant leaves |
| Cherry Dagger Moth larvae | Feed on cherry trees |
| Common Oak Moth larvae | Feed on oak trees |
| Harvester butterfly caterpillars | Feed on aphids |
| Zebra longwing butterflies | Collect pollen from certain flowers |
| Hummingbird clearwing moth | Feeds on nectar |
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What You'll Learn
Bogong moths are a food source for many
Aboriginal Consumption of Bogong Moths
The Gunaikurnai people, who are indigenous to southeastern Australia, have passed down stories of travelling to the mountains to collect Bogong moths. The moths were a valuable source of food due to their high fat and energy content. They were also used as an inter-tribal gathering point.
The first conclusive archaeological evidence of insect food remains in Australia was discovered on a grindstone in a cave in the Australian Alps. The microscopic remains of cooked and ground Bogong moths are estimated to be about 2,000 years old. This discovery fills a significant gap in the archaeological history of Aboriginal groups in Australia.
Animal Predators of Bogong Moths
During migration and aestivation, Bogong moths are preyed upon by various animals, including birds, mammals, and even fish. Little ravens, currawongs, and Australian pipits are among the bird species that feed on the moths during migration. Bats are also known to attack the moths during active flight at dusk.
Among mammals, the endangered mountain pygmy-possum is highly reliant on Bogong moths as a food source. Foxes, bush rats, and dusky antechinuses have also been recorded eating the moths.
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Larvae eat clothes and natural fibres
The casemaking clothes moth (*Tinea pellionella*) and the webbing clothes moth (*Tineola bisselliella*) are the two species most likely to infest clothing. The latter is the most common clothes moth, and its larvae (caterpillars) are considered a serious pest. They can derive nourishment from clothing, particularly natural fibres like wool, fur, hair, feathers, linen, silk, and cotton. They may also eat leather, lint, dust, paper, and occasionally synthetic fibres.
Clothes moths are attracted to dark, damp places, and their caterpillars prefer to feed on fungi, rotting wood, feathers, and even bat droppings. In homes, they are drawn to unwashed clothes with some moisture and possibly fungal growth. They also seek out fibrous protein, called keratin, which is found in nesting materials like feathers and hairs, and in many types of clothing.
Clothes moths prefer dirty fabric for oviposition and are attracted to clothing with traces of human sweat or other organic liquids. They are also drawn to moisture, though they do not require liquid water. Larvae are often found in dark corners and crevices, under furniture, carpet edges, and rugs, where they can feed on fibrous debris. They may also act as bookworms, chewing through paper to reach book bindings or mould.
To prevent and control infestation, it is important to keep your closet clean and vacuumed, discarding the vacuum bag outside to prevent the spread of eggs and larvae. A deep clean of rugs made from natural fibres is also recommended. Items that cannot be washed or dry cleaned should be aired out in the sun and vigorously brushed to kill moth eggs and larvae. Woollen items can be heat-treated in an oven set to at least 120 °F, while freezing clothes for at least 72 hours at 0 °F can also be effective.
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Pantry moths eat flour
Pantry moths, also known as Indian meal moths or Mediterranean flour moths, are a common pest in Australia. They are small, grayish-brown insects that infest pantries and cupboards, feeding on flour and other stored food items.
The scientific name for the Indian meal moth is Plodia interpunctella, while the Mediterranean flour moth is slightly smaller at about 1/2 inch in size and is usually pale gray with two black lines on its forewings. The Indian variety is about 3/4 inch long and has reddish-brown colouring on its outer forewings.
The larvae of pantry moths, commonly known as waxworms, feed on a variety of foodstuffs, including flour, whole grains, crackers, peas, beans, nuts, dried fruit, spices, and even dry pet food. The female moth can lay up to 650 eggs at a time, directly on the food source, which hatch within 2-7 days. The larvae will then take 14-40 days to fully develop, devouring the food source in the process.
To prevent and control pantry moth infestations, it is important to store food in sealed containers made of glass or thick plastic. Bay leaves, diatomaceous earth, and non-toxic pheromone traps can also be used to repel and trap moths. Additionally, newly purchased flour should be sealed and stored in the freezer for a week to kill any moth eggs that may be present.
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Moth caterpillars eat fungi and rotting wood
Moth caterpillars, or larvae, generally feed on various parts of plants. However, in Australia, some moth caterpillars are known to have a more eclectic diet. These caterpillars seem to prefer dark and damp places and feed on fungi, rotting wood, feathers, and even bat droppings. The larvae of some moth species in Australia, commonly known as witchetty grubs, bore into the bark of smooth-barked eucalypt trees. They do not eat the wood but instead feed on the soft growth scar tissue created by the tree as it tries to seal off the burrow created by the larva.
Moth caterpillars that feed on fungi take advantage of its abundance in moist areas. Clothes moths, for example, are attracted to unwashed clothes that retain moisture and may have some fungal growth. In the wild, the larvae of these moths would typically feed on nesting materials like feathers and hairs, which contain a fibrous protein called keratin. However, when they invade human habitats, they can find the same protein in various types of clothing made from natural fibres.
The Giant Wood Moth (Endoxyla cinereus) is another example of an Australian moth whose caterpillars eat rotting wood. The female lays her eggs in the crevices of eucalypt tree trunks with smooth bark. Once the caterpillars hatch, they begin to bore into the bark, creating tunnels that increase in width as they grow. During this time, they feed primarily on the tree's soft growth scar tissue rather than the wood itself.
While the diet of most moth caterpillars revolves around plant parts, some Australian moth caterpillars have adapted to include unique food sources such as fungi and rotting wood in their diets. These caterpillars play an essential role in the ecosystem by contributing to the decomposition of organic matter and recycling nutrients back into the environment.
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Adult moths rarely eat
The Hercules Moth, for example, does not eat as an adult because it has no mouth. Instead, it relies on food stores from its caterpillar stage. Other moth species, such as the case-making clothes moth and the webbing clothes moth, are known to eat fabrics and natural cloth fibres like wool, cotton, silk, and cashmere.
Moth larvae, or caterpillars, feed on various parts of plants, with some species specialising in specific plants or plant parts. For example, the Cherry Dagger Moth feeds only on cherry trees, while the Common Oak Moth feeds on oak trees. In the wild, moth caterpillars may also feed on fungi, rotting wood, feathers, and even bat droppings.
To prevent moth infestations, it is recommended to regularly clean and sunbathe clothing, store woollen items in sealed bags or containers, and maintain proper ventilation in cupboards.
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Frequently asked questions
Hercules moth caterpillars live on food plants such as Omalanthus populifolius, which is more commonly known as the bleeding heart tree.
Adult Hercules moths don't eat anything as they don't have a mouth. They survive on food stored from when they were caterpillars.
Bogong moth caterpillars can be found in self-mulching soils and crop pastures, where they eat wild and agricultural larval food sources.
Adult Bogong moths were historically eaten by Aboriginal people, who travelled to aestivation sites to feast on the dormant moths.
Clothes moths are known to eat natural cloth fibres found in clothes, curtains, carpets, bedsheets, and upholstery. They can devour wool, cotton, silk, cashmere, and lint.
