We have a moth some people call a "miller moth" which infests our home on the prairie for about the first two months of the summer.  Since we really only have about 3 and a half months of summer, they pose a real pest problem. We have tried leaving lights off in the house and retiring at 9:00 p.m. when it gets dark, leaving basins of soapy water beneath lights in the kitchen, but we always end up vacuuming up masses of them on a daily basis.  What do you suggest?   E. Davison

Hello, Mr. Davison: Miller moths are really a difficult proposition.  They will get in the tiniest cracks.  We don't have the problem here in the east, but my brother has recently moved to Montana and he wrote me about them also. Insecticides are a waste of time and money, and overkill for a nuisance pest such as this.  You have been doing what is best.  Make sure your house is sealed up as tight as possible, of course. Using your vacuum and those yellow bug lights inside and setting up florescent lights on the outside, with the sapy water trick is the best idea.  Be sure to use florescent lights with the soapy water, they have a spike in the spectrum that the insects are attracted to.  Place them AWAY from the house, if you can, because you don't want them near the house.  Any outside lights should shine on the house from a location AWAY from the house. That's just about it!  One of the bugs you can do very little about.  Every region has a few of these pesky bugs, some more than others.  Weather does have a lot to do with it, it seems that wet springs have the most effect on the miller moth populations. Sorry I can't be of more help! -----john

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