Mothing Equipment RFI (1 Viewer)

[Farnboro John]

Hi all,

A couple of questions I could do with having answered:

1. My current moth trap is thin plywood and doesn't much like the wet. Would it be OK to varnish it so that it doesn't absorb rainwater and warp slightly? I've got to the point where I don't put it out if there is the slightest chance of rain, which limits my trapping.

2. I'm considering getting a second set-up to be used away from mains power. I'm thinking LED and power banks, with maybe a plastic box: opinions, experience, and equipment recommendations welcomed.

Cheers

John

 

[Atropos]

Hi John, I always painted mine with a weather proof white gloss paint. Paint it in the winter and leave it somewhere to dry and for any chemical residue to dissipate. I currently use a LepiLED system bought from the link below. Not cheap I accept but being technically challenged as I am I went for the off the shelf option. Friends of mine use a variety of LED lights and various battery and converters to power them but the LepiLED runs off USB power banks, unlike MVs if the power bank runs out of charge a new one can be put in immediately with no need for the bulb to cool down and they are highly portable. I have 2x 30000mAh packs one runs the light for at least 7-8 hours no problem at all. The results so far have been excellent and I run both the MV and LepiLED together on the same double sheet when I am out bush. This is the link

Dr. Gunnar Brehm | LepiLED

Dr. Gunnar Brehm — Biologist at Phyletisches Museum, Jena, Germany. Expert for Geometridae (Looper moths) und Arctiinae (Tiger moths) of South America.

www.gunnarbrehm.de

 

[MiddleRiver]

This is cool.
Really

 

[Southern Frogmouth]

Hi John, here is a picture of my LepiLED in Essex in August in use in full-colour mode - I estimated about 500 moths were attracted to it on this night. I think with a better trap that could easily be increased. The LepiLED has two modes: UV-only and UV plus coloured LEDs. In UV-only powerbanks last twice as long but it isn't as good as full-colour mode, which I use for short-nights. I find UV-only is very effective in overlooked gardens or areas where you don't want the trap to be too conspicuous as it emits very little visible light and so can be placed anywhere you want.

 

[Southern Frogmouth]

Tests have suggested that LepiLED will perform as well as 125W MVs and while the lamp is expensive you don't need an expensive generator to power it as it requires about 13W. Certainly one of the people I trap with in Essex was going to get a generator and is now thinking of getting a LepiLED instead as it is cheaper, quieter and much easier to set up and performed better than the MVs that were out that night in the same woodland.

 

[Dave Ball]

Certainly one of the people I trap in Essex

I think trapping people is illegal, even in Essex

 

[Atropos]

Hi John, here is a picture of my LepiLED in Essex in August in use in full-colour mode - I estimated about 500 moths were attracted to it on this night. I think with a better trap that could easily be increased. The LepiLED has two modes: UV-only and UV plus coloured LEDs. In UV-only powerbanks last twice as long but it isn't as good as full-colour mode, which I use for short-nights. I find UV-only is very effective in overlooked gardens or areas where you don't want the trap to be too conspicuous as it emits very little visible light and so can be placed anywhere you want.

View attachment 1487220

I use mine with a sheet, tend not to use traditional traps in FNQ as the potential for nasty surprises is high...best night with just LepiLED was 130+ species (still working on the photos) and in excess of 1500 moths

 

[MiddleRiver]

Would one of you be willing to take a sec and talk about 'mothing'? Are you researchers, enthusiasts..., is there a community (smaller but like birders)... etc.?
I'm intrigued but totally in the dark (pun intended).

 

[Southern Frogmouth]

Would one of you be willing to take a sec and talk about 'mothing'? Are you researchers, enthusiasts..., is there a community (smaller but like birders)... etc.?
I'm intrigued but totally in the dark (pun intended).

People who do mothing are as varied in their commitment and knowledge as people in the birding community, so yes there are people who are enthusiasts, knowledgeable amateurs and researchers studying moths professionally. I started by identifying moths that flew into the house or landed on the outside of the house and friends would show me the occasional good moth they had caught. Then I went to a friend's house to see what was in their trap. It didn't take long to buy my own trap which I run in the garden, which I did once a week but now do on alternate nights when the weather seems suitable. Now I also have a moth trap that I built and another bought that are battery-powered and used LED lamps. I have expanded out and regularly trap out at a couple of nature reserves with the permission of the relevant people.

To a lesser extent compared to birding there are people who twitch moths and I have done that once or twice so far, but would do it again for moths that I want to see. I don't think news is as available for moths in Britain as it is for birds, but that could just be because I am comparative newbie to moths but have been birding for decades.

Cheers

Roy

 

[Southern Frogmouth]

I use mine with a sheet, tend not to use traditional traps in FNQ as the potential for nasty surprises is high...best night with just LepiLED was 130+ species (still working on the photos) and in excess of 1500 moths

Hi Atropos,

Do you hang the sheet up or lay it on the floor, or do you vary it?

Roy

 

[Atropos]

Hi Atropos,

Do you hang the sheet up or lay it on the floor, or do you vary it?

Roy

Hi Roy
Depends on the weather but vast majority of the time I hang as the "dark side" of the sheet holds species that don't seem to want to settle on the main side - I only really consider laying flat in wind if I cannot find a sheltered spot, the last time I put the sheet flat as I tidied up an Eastern Brown Snake calmly slid out from underneath the small egg boxes I had put down to try and keep things hanging around, the vertical sheet appears to be better at retaining stuff. Depending on where I am and what kit I have taken with me I use them both on the same double sheet as this does seem to pull in a lot more stuff than using them both separately. The set up below was being spectacularly productive until I got flooded out, in the three hours it was safe to trap 170+ species (still working on the photos) and in excess of 2000 moths.
Dom

 

[Southern Frogmouth]

Hi Roy
Depends on the weather but vast majority of the time I hang as the "dark side" of the sheet holds species that don't seem to want to settle on the main side - I only really consider laying flat in wind if I cannot find a sheltered spot, the last time I put the sheet flat as I tidied up an Eastern Brown Snake calmly slid out from underneath the small egg boxes I had put down to try and keep things hanging around, the vertical sheet appears to be better at retaining stuff. Depending on where I am and what kit I have taken with me I use them both on the same double sheet as this does seem to pull in a lot more stuff than using them both separately. The set up below was being spectacularly productive until I got flooded out, in the three hours it was safe to trap 170+ species (still working on the photos) and in excess of 2000 moths.
Dom

Thanks Dom, that is helpful to know - especially putting a sheet on the ground as well as hanging one up as I have not tried that before. It makes sense to do that as does the bit about the dark side of the sheet given that moths like to hide. Obviously in the UK we don't have to worry about poisonous snakes, spiders etc, but wind is definitely a factor.

Roy

 

[BriLee]

Hi John, I always painted mine with a weather proof white gloss paint. Paint it in the winter and leave it somewhere to dry and for any chemical residue to dissipate. I currently use a LepiLED system bought from the link below. Not cheap I accept but being technically challenged as I am I went for the off the shelf option. Friends of mine use a variety of LED lights and various battery and converters to power them but the LepiLED runs off USB power banks, unlike MVs if the power bank runs out of charge a new one can be put in immediately with no need for the bulb to cool down and they are highly portable. I have 2x 30000mAh packs one runs the light for at least 7-8 hours no problem at all. The results so far have been excellent and I run both the MV and LepiLED together on the same double sheet when I am out bush. This is the link

Dr. Gunnar Brehm | LepiLED

Dr. Gunnar Brehm — Biologist at Phyletisches Museum, Jena, Germany. Expert for Geometridae (Looper moths) und Arctiinae (Tiger moths) of South America.

www.gunnarbrehm.de

Great article.I've been interested in the LepiLED,but the price is a bit over my budget, but there is another option now in the UK by Ento nets called a Podlight, consisting of 6 LEDs 2 uv 2 Green 2 blue,ive been after something to replace my old Actinic heath trap, I was forever having battery issues at remote sites,and couldn't really afford the Tracer types,I've used a Goodens Gemlite the first version (1 uv 1 Green Led ) which also picked up 2 Tissue Moths pretty rare in my area ( South Penines ) which were never recorded when a group of us lugged the M V/ Generator up there a good few times.These Leds are the way forward for me personally, so portable,with the Powerbank Batteries, and though will not replace 125 watt MV for sheer volume of numbers/species ,they can be surprisingly good in the remote sites .regards Bri.