Tuesday 31 May 2016

An Invasion - updated

Following on from Mikes post just now, I walked across Bringsty Common as dusk was approaching this evening and the grassy areas are swarming with thousands of Plutella xylostella. I estimate in parts around 10 per square metre. I'll try and take a video tomorrow if the weather is suitable. It's astonishing.

Well, I ran the garden moth trap last night (31st) and recorded 86 in the trap. The previous night there were none. This was a conservative estimate of numbers as many were flying up with the egg boxes being moved. They must have moved in during the day yesterday I think, presumably on the  front of the storm (that completely missed us - rain wise) that moved in the from the near continent. Glad I'm not growing any brassicas this year in the vegetable plot. No other migrant signs in the moth trap at all.
Bringsty Common: Plutella xylostella



Peter Hall
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4 comments:

  1. Patrick Clement1 June 2016 at 06:43

    There was a mention on Springwatch about large numbers at Minsmere, I saw something similar in 2006 here in Halesowen.

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  2. Pete Smith1 June 2016 at 08:26

    Just counted 190 between 2 traps here in Dodford and there are quite a few similar reports on various facebook moth groups.

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  3. Steve Whitehouse1 June 2016 at 18:28

    183+ (still finding one or two in garage following trap/box processing)from my garden trap last night. Many are of the pale sandy/spotty variety. Given a Sulphur-bellied Leaf-warbler has arrived on a small Danish island at the mouth of the Baltic three days ago some of these may also have come from Central Asia?

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  4. Steve Whitehouse3 June 2016 at 10:11

    148 Diamonds on nights of the 1st June then only c.20 on 2nd June in Worcester so dispersal now well underway

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