The NHBA has received a letter from Matt Scruton, Town Administrator for the Town of Rye, NH:
I thought you might be interested in these two unique mating moths that I saw on a tree in Rye last week, near the Rye Town Hall, after a resident claimed to have seen large “bees” on the tree. I couldn’t identify them, so I took a picture of them (attached) and submitted the information to UNH Cooperative Extension via their online submission form for identification at https://www.nhbugs.org/. They identified them as Hornet Moths (Sesia Apiformis). They are native to Europe and the Middle East and are much less common in North America. This is only the second known occurrence of this non-native moth in New Hampshire and the first since 2020, according to the email below. I had never seen one before so I thought I would let you know in case you receive any reports of large bees in the area, they may be Hornet Moths like these.
It's a good idea to familiarize ourselves with this species as it is just a matter of time when we start getting calls from concerned citizens.
.jpg)