Moths don't see well, and they can't hear or speak. So how do they find a mate? They actually sniff out the object of their affection with their feathery antennae.
Hi, this is Iain MacLeod from New Hampshire Audubon, bringing you Something Wild.
Imagine, for a moment, that you are a moth. You don't see well, and you can't hear or speak. How would you find a mate?
Moths are nocturnal insects. Since they conduct most of their business in the dark, and they are unable to make or hear sound, much of their behavior is based on odor.
Moths do not have noses, so they smell with their feathery antennae. These sensitive organs consist of hundreds of tiny hairs containing cells that detect scent.
So instead of looking for a mate, a male moth will actually sniff out the object of his affection.
Females advertise themselves by emitting powerful come-hither perfumes called pheremones. Males detect the females' calling card and respond by flying valiantly along the trail of scent toward their lady love. Some male silkworm moths will follow scent for many miles to find a female.
This also explains why moths meander along seemingly random flight paths. Scent swirls around in air currents, and the moths zigzag through the air, trying to follow the strongest scent trails.
But eager male moths can be easily tricked. The larvae of some species, such as codling moths, can cause trouble for orchard owners by eating holes through fruit. Some farmers place lures coated with pheremones throughout their orchards.
Lusty male moths leave their frustrated potential mates waiting in vain, while they instead court a piece of plastic covered in female scent. With many lures per acre, the males are too overwhelmed by the scent of the fakes to find real females. Imagine trying to detect someone wearing Chanel No. 5 while in the Chanel factory, and you get the picture.
No sex means no larvae, and that means no unwanted worms in your apples. Clearly there are drawbacks to a scent-based love life.
Something Wild is a joint production of New Hampshire Audubon, New Hampshire Public Radio and Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. For Something Wild, I'm Iain MacLeod.
