@robotpie in that case, then I agree with your point of view. It will be better in the long run to light trap moths, as long as they are not euthanized. Naturally, I would feel like it would be detrimental to euthanize any of the moths that came to the light trap.
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My confusion is that I don’t see how light trapping can euthanise moths (sure there may be some casualties, eg. squished by not-so-careful people, burnt by the heat of the bulb etc, but nothing detrimental)?
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May I ask you how you understand the term “light trap”? It’s not actually a trap in most cases.
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I think so… Thats what other who are much more experienced than me have all said. It might not be true though… I dont know for sure. I have also found eggs at light traps, but very rarely have I found any gravid females.
I think the main concern is that the moths will waste time and energy trying to find the source of the light, which they could be spending feeding, mating, or otherwise going about their lifecycle, get exhausted and die or get eaten by predators in their weakened state.
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Great questions and wondering. I have wondered about those lodges in Costa Rica that have set up numerous feeders for hummingbirds. Are hummingbirds attracted to feeders and reducing pollination in the ecosystem? Has there been any studies about the influence of feeders on hummingbirds and reproductive success of plants in ecotourist lodge areas?
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All of these are very good thoughts. I just wonder how a person/institution would go about testing an hypothesis such as this? I am not a researcher, but know enough about research to know it is a difficult proposition. Perhaps others can chime in!
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https://escholarship.org/content/qt6382q8t5/qt6382q8t5.pdf
You may find this study useful; admittedly it is not àbout hummingbirds, but it works on the same principles.
Recently read research about our sunbirds (similar to hummers but a bit bigger) and wild Erica. If there are feeders in urban edge gardens, the birds spend more time there and fertilise less wildflowers.
Better to plant appropriate wildflowers in a garden.
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That is a question of Light Pollution which has become more and more an issue…
All outdoor lighting may actually be a major cause to the decline in almost every insect species!
Light Pollution Map
Globe at Night
Light Pollution is getting worse
Norm Lunda (only in Swedish for now)
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One experience has been that bats come around at night and kind of feast off of the moths
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Excellent, thanks so much for this reference!
Artificial nectar feeders reduce sunbird abundance and plant visitation in Cape Fynbos adjacent to suburban areas
Here is another article that tells a bit of a story about Hummingbirds
Sonne, J., Kyvsgaard, P., Maruyama, P.K. et al. Spatial effects of artificial feeders on hummingbird abundance, floral visitation and pollen deposition. J Ornithol 157, 573–581 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-015-1287-1
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