Box Tree Moths are not in either of the books , and there will be a version 2 of the micromoths coming out around Xmas. I am currently drowning Box Tree moths in a jar of water with some washing up liquid. Catching four or five every time it goes out. For some reason I keep finding them in the greenhose. I hope they don't want tomatoes as as alternate foodstuff.
I was just looking at version 2 of Micro Moths and was wondering if it's worth pre ordering and waiting while December, or just going with version 1 and making do.
I haven't found the micro moth book to be massively helpful. There tends to be quite a bit of variation in the smaller moths and only one or two pictures to go on. It's a great book but don't expect many definitive IDs. If you can take a decent close up photo then the AI system on inaturalist.org can identify most of them or at least get you close enough to check against other online resources. Assume 50% of them will go down as 'small brown moth' though
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
A lot of the micro moths need genital dissection to determine species. I can't be bothered with that, I get long thin ones and small tortrixes, and plumes. I get a lot of apple tree tortrix and there was a spate of green oak tortrix earlier on.
I put mine in the greenhouse the other night. I still got 60 or so moths, including a canary shouldered thorn I found behind the cucumber. I just hope the neighbours don't think I'm growing weed in there instead of tomatoes.
I had a nice man called Josh this morning, from the Forestry Commission, put a pheromone trap (with water in to drown them) high up in the bottom Oak , to catch any Oak Processionary moths about. He'll be back in a fortnight to check on it and change the lure.
Locally people are using patio parasols, gazebos, porches and garages with the door and windows open. This has the added advantage of finding odd things on the walls later. One found a nice Lichen beauty.
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Just a shame the weather isn't playing ball for the next week or so