Talk:Ailanthus webworm

Parasitic?

Thanks Seglea for the format improvements. But why are you calling it parasitic? I don't think it fits the definition.

I also wish Wikipedia would standardize on using taxonomic nomenclature for the primary page, with redirects from common names. It's less confusing that way. Pollinator 07:14, 19 Jan 2004 (UTC)

Pollinator-- I think you're right about parasitic - it was the mention of the host tree that made me use the word, but thinking about it, we wouldn't usually call an animal that feeds on a plant parasitic (bit of a metaphysical distinction in a way if you think about it, but let's not try to start a campaign). I'll change it back.

I don't have strong feelings whether the common name should redirect to the systematic name or vice versa, and I am not sure that standardisation is appropriate - to some extent it should vary depending which is the more often used. I wouldn't be happy with cat redirecting to Felis catus, for example - not least because in some cases the common name is actually more stable than the systematic name. But I didn't do it that way with the webworm on principle, I just wanted to set up the redirect, and the fastest way was to move the page. We could change it round if you like, it's just a matter of copying the content to the page that's currently a redirect. seglea 07:29, 19 Jan 2004 (UTC)

Does not survive cold winters?

The comment "The moth does not survive cold winters, but migrates north each year so it is commonly seen in summer throughout the continental US, and occasionally eastern Canada." puzzles me. I live in Ohio where our temperatures always dip below zero degrees Fahrenheit, yet Ailanthus webworm moths are among the first to emerge after thaw. I have always taken them to be hardy. I'm just an amateur collector though. Any more qualified commentary? Todd.Isler (talk) 20:59, 27 February 2008 (UTC)