A Giant Moth Is Terrorizing a Couple in Oklahoma
Call it The Mothman Prophecies Part II. For the last month, Oklahoma City resident Carol Dillin and her husband have been living their own version of the urban legend. A massive winged creature has been terrorizing their home in the night, flinging itself with abandon against the Dillin’s glass patio doors.
Identifying and eliminating the threat has become Carol Dillin’s sole mission over the last several weeks. At first, she thought the noise stemmed from rowdy athletes. “I thought somebody was hitting baseballs against the house. Then it started sounding like basketballs,” Dillin recounted to Oklahoma’s News 4.
Yet chilling security camera footage confirmed a different threat. In the video, an undoubtedly winged creature flies into the semi-enclosed patio. It flutters between the side of the house and the glass door, ramming against the glass with a powerful retort.
Dillin’s immediate response was to develop a daily attack strategy. “In the afternoon, I’ll bomb the area,” Carol confirmed. “To kill any insects.”
She barricaded the back patio door with outdoor furniture cushions and a large metal cabinet. A duet of ceramic owls stand alert on a garden table, which is flanked by methodically arranged cans of bug bomb.
Amongst the detritus sits Harry, a plastic skeleton in a flannel button-up. “He’s supposed to be a scarecrow, but nobody’s afraid of him,” Dillin said in an impromptu performance review.
Prevention methods have made no difference. The creature continues to return.
Micah Holmes, who works within the Communication and Education Division at Oklahoma’s State Wildlife Department, believes the intruder to be a moth. Oklahoma houses several species of large insects, including Luna, Sphinx, or Polyphemus Moth, all of which are large enough to produce the noise heard in the footage. In fact, some of the state's moths can grow up to seven inches.
“This is a good year for moths because it’s been pretty wet, for the summer,” Holmes told News 4. “This is the time of year they’re out and trying to mate.”
Yet in an interview with her local news channel, Dillin disagreed with the scientist's assessment. “I’ve seen enough of the videos to know, because of the scalloped wings. You know, that’s a bat."
Alex Harman, an Insect Diagnostician at Oklahoma State University, agrees with Holmes. Bats, which use echolocation to travel, would not be flying into glass. Moths, however, might be coming back to see the tiny green light from the security camera.
Carol Dillin, however, remains unconvinced. “But how a moth is surviving all the bug spray? [sic] Uh huh huh,” Carol tutted to News 4.
“If it is a bat, keep in mind, bats eat a lot of insects, mosquitos and other things that we don’t like,” Holmes warns. “Bats do serve a purpose and they won’t hurt you either.”
Meanwhile, Dillin and her husband are considering enclosing their porch entirely. It’s likely the safest choice for all involved.