This next moth is my favorite so far. It’s Acherontia atropos, the Death’s Head Hawkmoth. Actually, the Death’s Head Hawkmoth refers to any one of these three species of moth: A. atropos, A. styx and A. lachesis in the genus Acherontia. According to Wikipedia, they have several unusual attributes. First, they can squeak loudly and flash their abdomen when disturbed or irritated. (Who would want to irritate a Death’s Head moth?) Second, they actually raid beehives for honey! Somehow, they manage to mimic the bees’ scent in order to be “invisible” and move about in the hive undetected. Quite a trick!
