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Last week, Butterfly Conservation published a report called The State of Britain's Larger Moths 2013. It makes a depressing read, demonstrating a marked decline in the number of our larger moths over the last 40 years. The survey, conducted

It's been a very good year for codling moths in our garden. I can't say I've seen many of the moths themselves, but it's obvious there are plenty of them. Each time I cut into one of the windfall apples I am met with a crumbling mouldy brown mass

It’s always fascinating, and stimulating, when people ask me to identify insects they’ve found in their gardens. On Monday I was stopped by one of the teachers at six-year-old’s school and shown an image of a brightly coloured moth on his phone. I

A few weeks ago I wrote about moving a bumblebee nest from a friend's garden. At the end of the blog I mentioned that I'd found a wax moth in the nest.Wax moth is a native, natural predator of the bumblebee, but it's one of its biggest enemies

The caterpillars of the oak processionary moth are a real pest, but I couldn't contemplate killing them. I find myself in this situation regularly. So many so-called pests are creatures I'm quite happy to live alongside and I do so without a second

remains open all night without complaint from the females in the house. And with the window open we get visitors. This morning it was a brimstone moth, Opisthograptis luteolata, decorating the white wall tiles. Although this is an extremely common moth

The Friday before last was hot and humid, and as the sun fell the evening crept in sultry and still. Sitting in the kitchen I was aware that there was an inordinate number of moths fluttering about outside. This wasn't much of a surprise, the last

quickly rush to the spot armed with a Petri dish.A paint kettle has been upended over the bug of weird redness in question. Carefully lifting it off, I am met with a ruby tiger moth — lovely.Ruby tiger moth (Phragmatobia fuliginosa) is a common insect

We are now positively awash with Jersey Tiger moths, Euplagia quadripunctaria. Named for its abundance on one particular of the Channel Islands, it had been well established in South Devon and apparently spreading along the coast into Dorset

When the children first found the caterpillar, they were fascinated and asked me what sort of moth it might turn into. They were amazed when I told them that instead of a moth, it would turn into a sawfly the size of a hornet. Some of the parents