surreyjohan said:
... one thing I personally rather enjoy about moth-ing is the DIY aspect, ie making your own mothtraps, and as a consequence, thinking about and trying "improvements". For example, extended vanes, etc.
With the season coming to an end and a few months available to make some homespun mothtrap "upgrades", I was wondering what "improvements" others have tried, if they failed, were they expensive, what bits did people use, etc?
Regards,
Johan
Hello Johan,
As you mentioned extended vanes, I presume you have seen one of my posts concerning them. I did find them very useful, and never trap without them in place. Apart from catching some of the moths that usually zoom over the trap and disappear for ever, they are a good resting spot for micro's. It's easy to 'tube' them resting on the vanes, whereas many that go into the trap get very worn by being battered around by larger moths, making them hard to ID.
My vanes cost about £20 for the plastic and brackets, nuts, bolts and washers. They took less than 2 hrs to make. I bought the smallest sheet of clear plastic I could find, and there was enough material surplus for a spare set of vanes. It works for me.
What is really needed, is some kind of sensor operated trapdoor which opens when a moth enters the trap cone and shuts again after it has entered the trap body. It would cut down on losses or escapees. As I am hardly qualified to change a three pin plug, I will leave it to someone with electrical expertese to design it.
If, by any chance, you are an Analytical Chemist, there is a need for an all species pheremone which would attract the males of every moth species known.
Lastly, a very famous collector recorder of the 19th C once wrote. "An entomologist needs three lifetimes, 70 years to trap and record, 70 years to write up his findings, and a further 70 years to communicate his findings to others". As I am now in my 60's, I am in urgent need of a 'long life pill'.
I'm sure others will have additional suggestions.
Harry
