Giant bogong moths swarm southeast Australia during their annual migration

Hundreds of thousands of giant moths have swarmed homes across Australia’s east coast. Social media has been inundated with videos and photos of the bogong moths swarming around lights and hiding in clothes from Melbourne to Sydney over the weekend.

Bogong moths swarm east coast homes Thousands of people reported seeing the moths through the Invertebrates Australia-run website Bogong Watch. Bogong Watch project manager Linnea Emneby told Sunrise the phenomenon could have been caused by a bungled migration. “They are on their migration from the inland towards the alps and we think that they might have been displaced by the strong northwesterly winds,” she said. But the sheer amount of moths involved in the migration could be a good sign for population numbers, according to Emneby. “It seems like there’s also a really good year for bogongs in general,” she said. “The numbers are like nothing we’ve seen these last five years or more since the drought of 2017.”

Despite being classified as endangered, the species isn’t at risk due to low numbers, but rather because their summer habitats are becoming uninhabitable. “As temperatures rise with climate change, these rock shelters up in the mountains where they spend their summers are getting too warm for them to stay,” Emneby said. “But it’s also that we’ve built our homes in their migratory pathway.” She said moths are attracted to artificial light because they use the night sky, particularly the moon and stars, to navigate while migrating. For concerned residents currently dealing with the swarming moths, Emneby said they “will be gone soon” but encouraged residents to get a glimpse of the endangered species while they still can.