If moths are attracted to light, why do they only come out at night?

Answer 1

A moths light sensing is calibrated to react to low light levels. During daylight hours, light is distributed by reflection so that the sun is not sensed as a point source as the moon is.

For you as a human it would be the same as how you cannot 'see' bright headlights at night as a clear point source of light, but you can see dimmer taillights as point sources.

In the same way, the moon is a better landmark for moth sensors than the sun is, daylight and the sun is too 'fuzzy'.

Answer 2

From "How Stuff Works":

"Some lepidopterists (moth and butterfly scientists) suggest that moths use the moon as a primary reference point and have the ability to calibrate their flight paths as the Earth's rotation causes the moon to move across the sky. (There is even evidence to support the theory that migrating moths have an internal geomagnetic compass system to guide them in the right direction.) So a moth's attraction to an artificial light or to a fire could be related to orientation, and lead to disorientation -- the moth wasn't "expecting" to actually get to "the moon" (the light source) or to be able to fly above it, so confusion results.

It's also possible that moths have an escape-route mechanism related to light. Imagine disturbing a bush-full of moths at night -- they all fly up and out of the bush, toward the sky. To a moth in danger, flying toward the light (which is usually in the sky, or at least upward) tends to be a more advantageous response than flying toward darkness (which is usually downward). "

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

Some do come out during the day like the Cinnabar moth. But most species of moth are nocturnal. I don't know why they are nocturnal though. It might be to help them avoid some predators, or the type of visual spectum that they have evolved to see in, or maybe because of the type of food they eat. I think that the person above me is onto something.

Answer 4

They think it is safer coz less predators are active at night(the only animal which eats them at night are bats,and by chance if they get trapped in a spiders web).

Answer 5

They like small amounts of light and the sun is too much light, and they can't land on the sun

Answer 6

It is said they use the moon to navigate. A house light just confuses them, because it is a lot closer.

Answer 7

but bush is dictateur and he is still there!!!