Are Spongy Moths Flying Around Right Now in New York

It has been off and on over the two weeks. It seems to happen when the weather has been warm in the evening. My house has been swarmed by moths like something out of a horror movie.

Warm Weather Brings Back Moths to the Hudson Valley

The other night, the moths at my back door light were so bad that I could not get in the house without a few of them following right behind me. Later I noticed that a mass had gathered on my kitchen window screen because I had the light on.

Just a few weeks ago I mentioned that we could see fewer spongy moths this year. Apparently, we are getting to the end of their current cycle in our area. I will say seeing all of these moths everywhere was frustrating, they were flying at my car like snowflakes on my drive home.

READ More: Spongy Moth Cycle Might Be Over In The Hudson Valley

It got me thinking that this may be them back again for another season of snacking on all my trees. I decided to take pictures and start asking around. One of the sources I contacted was the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC). I figured that was a good place to go for answers.

NYS DEC Answers Questions About the Sudden Abundance of Moths in New York

It turns out that was a good plan. Ally from the NYS DEC got back to me after I sent in photos of my moth invasion through the NYS DEC Facebook messenger. They looked like Spongy Moths to me but fortunately, I was wrong. I don't know one moth from another.

Ally sent me a response from Lands and Forest:

"I believe these are actually Small Phigalia moths (Phigalia strigataria) which are native and one of the first insect genera to emerge in late winter to early spring. After emerging from their overwintering pupae, these adult males begin looking for their flightless female counterparts to breed. The larvae of this species feed on the young leaves of a wide variety of deciduous trees and can be considered a pest but aren’t abundant enough to cause extensive damage." (Via Facebook Messenger)

So I am going with that answer to my moth invasion hopefully if you are having the same issue your moths look like mine and we can both be happy they aren't "Spongy".