[ad_1]
In recent days, social networks have commented on the high presence of moths in Santiago, being even branded as “invasion” by some users.
Given this, the entomologist and academic from the University of Chile, Tomislav Curkovic, explained the reasons for this, also assuring that “there is no harm.”
“In the case of insects, their cycle goes from the egg, then a worm or larva that grows to become a chrysalis, and later reaches its adulthood, which is its most visible form. And this happens every year because the cycles are always The only difference is that in some opportunities there are more cycles, and in others there are fewer, “he said in an interview with La Tercera.
In this regard, he indicated that currently “the adults of these more robust moths are emerging, and it will happen again in the summer. The largest moths have one cycle or generation per year, so we will not see them again until 2021.” .
Similarly, the expert pointed out that the development of these insects is related to heat. “The higher the temperature, the faster the development of the moths,” he said.
“It is not surprising that if the heat continues to persist, they will be more and more frequent,” he said.
“In Chile there are none that do harm”
Curkovic called for calm about the high presence of moths, stating that “there are none that are harmful.”
“The moths that come to the houses and we see in the bulbs come from outside. But there are others that are inside the houses, associated with food remains, and there they develop their cycles, especially in grains. In Chile there are three or four pests that are in homes. If someone lives near a park or a hill, many can come from there, “he said.
“Many moths in their adult state are not harmful, and in Chile there are none that are harmful, apart from people who are afraid of them because of their fluttering and because they are somewhat clumsy while flying,” he stressed.
In addition, he highlighted their importance in nature, noting that they fulfill a similar function to bees since the adults are pollinators.
“There are many plants whose flowers open at night and the nocturnal moths are in charge of this process. They are part of a network in which they end up being food for other animals such as bats. They live and allow them to live,” he concluded.
[ad_2]
