Within the arthropods, we find the class of insects and these, in turn, include the order Lepidoptera, where butterflies and moths are grouped. The main difference is that the former have club-tipped antennae, while the latter lack this feature and their antennae are rather filamentous. Also, although it is not an absolute criterion, butterflies are mainly diurnal, while moths are nocturnal.
Now, what do moths eat? Do they eat the same as butterflies? In this article on our site we talk specifically about what moths eat So we invite you to continue reading and find out what their diet is based on.
Type of moth feeding
Moths have a mainly herbivorous diet, although in some cases there may be certain exceptions. These insects feed on a wide variety of products of plant origin and different plant organs, which varies mainly, as we will see later, depending on the stage or stage in which the moth is found, since they are animals that spend through various stages during its development, such as egg, caterpillar or larva, pupa, commonly called a chrysalis, and adult, also known as an imago.
Moths are a tremendously diverse group that extends practically all over the world and, despite fulfilling important roles in ecosystems, such as pollination and forming part of food webs, because they are in turn food from animals such as birds, bats or spiders, can also cause severe damage both in forests and in food plantations for people. Likewise, we found that various species of moths inhabit urban areas, forming part of our daily lives and being present in our homes, so that s u food is associated with products found in homes In this sense, you have probably wondered what clothes moths eat, because, indeed, the species identified as Tineola bisselliella, in its caterpillar phase, feeds on various fibers from clothing, although it can also eat certain cereals and other foods that we keep at home, which is why it is considered a pest that affects homes. Another example is the carpet moth (Trichophaga tapetzella), which bases its diet on carpets, rugs, furniture, floor coverings, and animal tissues, among others.
In this sense, depending on the species, we can specify the following types of food consumed by moths:
- Sheets
- Fruits
- Seeds
- Stems
- Estate
- Nectar
- Vegetable exudates
- Honey
- Mushrooms
- Fabrics
- Wood
- Domestic foods (cereals and flours)
- Fats
- Insect remains
- Faeces
What do moths eat when they are born?
When the female is fertilized by the male, the eggs are fertilized, so later, depending on the species of moth, it will generally look for a plant to lay the eggs. After embryonic development, the larvae will hatch, which are normally known as caterpillars
When they are born, caterpillars have a very different anatomy from that of the adult, which will change thanks to the process of metamorphosis. In this sense, the moths at birth have a specialized oral apparatus for chewing various plant materials known as "jaws". One part of the mouth of these animals is hardened, but another, specifically the lower region, is softer and contains an organ called a spinneret, with which caterpillars (as well as spiders) produce silk for their nests.
It is the moths in this caterpillar stage that cause problems in crops and homes because they are major devourers of different types of plant matterThus, moths at birth eat mainly leaves , but can also include stems, flowers, fruits, roots and seeds. The genus Eupithecia contains species that, in the caterpillar phase, are placed on plants imitating a twig and when some other insect approaches, they catch and devour it.
Let's know some specific examples of plants that moths eat when they are born:
- Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar): caterpillars are intensive defoliators of trees and can cause significant damage to forests. Some of the species they consume are oak (Quercus), alber broadleaf trees (Alnus rubra), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga) and western fir needle trees (Tsuga heterophylla). It is the one we see in the image.
- Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata): they feed on blueberry plants, various conifers and deciduous trees. It has come to wreak havoc in certain localities.
- Fall Army Worm (Helicoverpa zea): It is commonly a pest of corn, cotton and tomato plantations.
What do adult moths eat?
After several transformations, the caterpillars enter a stage known as a pupa or chrysalis, in which metamorphosis occurs, giving rise to the adult moth. Fundamental anatomical and physiological changes occur in this last stage of the life cycle of moths. In this way, the oral apparatus formed by chewing jaws is modified to a new structure known as proboscis, which consists of an elongated appendage that remains coiled inside the animal's mouth while it is not feeding; its function is to suck mainly the liquid food, from which the adult moths feed. So adult moths primarily consume nectar, liquid shoots from stems and fruits and also miel Some cases, such as the fat moth (Aglossa cuprina), when it is an adult, can consume vegetable or animal fat.
On the other hand, there is a group of moths known as archaic, which are classified in the family Micropterigidae, which maintain mobile jaws in the adult state, so they can eat certain solid foods, such as pollen. There are also cases of adults that do not feed, because they lack a mouthpart or it is very vestigial, such as certain members of the Saturniidae family, which feed on the reserves accumulated during the few days that they live in the imago phase.
How much does a moth eat?
There is no exact data on how much a moth eats, as this would vary depending on the species and the stage in which it is found. However, in the caterpillar stage there is a considerably higher food consumption than when they are adults, this is because, on the one hand, it is a stage that it lasts longer and, on the other hand, because here they accumulate the necessary reserves for the next stage of pupa, in which the activity is focused solely on carrying out the metamorphosis.
Additionally, moths in the larval state, as we have mentioned, wreak havoc on different types of plantations, defoliating large numbers of trees, which translates not only into agricultural losses, but in certain cases in ecological damage to ecosystems, because many plants cannot recover if they lose much of their leaf cover.
