Skip to main content
Moths: natural history and human history
Moths cause huge damage to clothes, carpets and crops, but they’re so much more than just pests, explain SCIENCE AND SOCIETY
A Hawkmoth collecting nectar

THE occurrence of household moths in Britain has seen a striking rise in recent years according to English Heritage. The anger and hatred of those who’ve survived a moth infestation is understandable, but most moths are unfairly maligned.

Unlike butterflies, which form a group of all the descendants of a single ancestor, moths are much more genetically diverse, having diverged from each other at an earlier point. There were early moths 300 million years ago, which adapted into modern moths alongside early flowers.

There are 160,000 known species of lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) worldwide, and more are still being discovered. While there are just 59 species of butterfly found in Britain, there are 2,500 known moth species, 900 of them “macro” moth species with wingspans generally longer than 2cm. Surprisingly only three moth species (all micro-moths) live indoors and cause damage to clothing and carpets.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
POISON: Centivax workers study antivenom to counteract the bites of various snakes at the company lab in San Francisco
Science and Society / 7 May 2025
7 May 2025

A maverick’s self-inflicted snake bites could unlock breakthrough treatments – but they also reveal deeper tensions between noble scientific curiosity and cold corporate callousness, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT

SCIENCE AND SOCIETY / 22 April 2025
22 April 2025

Science has always been mixed up with money and power, but as a decorative facade for megayachts, it risks leaving reality behind altogether, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT

(Left) Human embryonic stem cells; (right) A patient after i
Features / 26 March 2025
26 March 2025
A small Japanese trial has reported some positive results for stem cell therapy to treat spinal-cord injuries
MORE THAN A WATERWAY: The Agua Clara (Clear Water) locks on
Science and Society / 12 March 2025
12 March 2025
Man-made canals like Panama and Suez face unprecedented challenges from extreme weather patterns and geopolitical tensions that reveal the fragility of our global trade networks, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
Similar stories
Jonathan Hanks in A Christmas Carol
Theatre Review / 23 December 2024
23 December 2024
SUSAN DARLINGTON enjoys, with minor reservations, the Northern Ballet’s revival of its 1992 classic
Features / 27 August 2024
27 August 2024
This much-maligned insect’s numbers are dramatically down this summer. SEIRIAN SUMNER explains what’s happened to them, and why ecologists are calling for assistance from the public
EXHUBERANCE AND DARING: Bonfire at the Saint John festivitie
Notes From A Free Walker / 13 July 2024
13 July 2024