Moth Trap Tips (1 Viewer)

[AlexWinser]

Hi All,

I just received my 22w Actinic Gladiator moth trap from Paul Betty today and I am anxious to try it out. However, being a newbie to moth trapping I think I need some top tips first to aid me.

What is the best weather conditions to look out for?

When should I put it on and until when?

Any other top tips?

Apologies for the basic questions but I know you won't mind helping me out.

Thanks in advance

Alex

 

[PaulK]

It's not really a basic question, I think they are first questions any moth-er asks

Have a look at the guide to mothing on this website

http://www.angleps.btinternet.co.uk/

I trap in a built up area and I find The ultimate night is a humid one. If it is particularly cold (eg. minus numbers) and there is a very strong wind I get nothing. It all depends on your location. Strong winds can mean migrants.

I put my trap on as soon as the sun starts to go down. Some geomatrids fly quite early in the evening. I get up to empty it as soon as the sun comes up so in june/july I am up at 4am!!! This means you don't miss anything like flying out or outside the trap. In terms of time of year I trap from March to November but there are moths flying all year round.

A friend of mine uses the gladiator and he says on some nights it catches more than his MV trap.

I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I've put the trap out for the first time this year this evening.

Paul

 

[AlexWinser]

Thanks Paul.

The trap is out now but I am a little concerned with the rain showers as I don't have a cover for it yet. I did see one moth around it earlier but not much else. We'll see, it all good fun though.

Alex

It's not really a basic question, I think they are first questions any moth-er asks

Have a look at the guide to mothing on this website

http://www.angleps.btinternet.co.uk/

I trap in a built up area and I find The ultimate night is a humid one. If it is particularly cold (eg. minus numbers) and there is a very strong wind I get nothing. It all depends on your location. Strong winds can mean migrants.

I put my trap on as soon as the sun starts to go down. Some geomatrids fly quite early in the evening. I get up to empty it as soon as the sun comes up so in june/july I am up at 4am!!! This means you don't miss anything like flying out or outside the trap. In terms of time of year I trap from March to November but there are moths flying all year round.

A friend of mine uses the gladiator and he says on some nights it catches more than his MV trap.

I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I've put the trap out for the first time this year this evening.

Paul

 

[PaulK]

Rain showers can be advantage when mothing. It keeps the moths low and i've been told it causes them to emerge. Don't worry about not getting many moths yet. I normally only get 10-15 moths in march but in june/july it will go up to about 200-300 (in a town centre!!!). An advantage of starting to trap earlier when beginning is you can get used to moths - It can be quite daunting when your faced with 20/30 species you are unfamiliar with.

 

[AlexWinser]

Well, I left the trap on until 3am but sadly nothing caught last night. I did see a largish moth flying round the trap dbut it didn't enter. I will try again tonight if the weather permits.

Alex

 

[Brian Stone]

Agreed. Light rain (even heavier rain) can be very good. It don't think it will hurt your trap. Just make sure the electrics are well covered. I run my actinic in all weathers and apart from having to dry out egg boxes there realy isn't a problem.

 

[Surreybirder]

My 80W MV survived some very heavy rain last night so I don't think your gladiator will suffer in rain. It might be a good idea to put something heavy inside it if gales are forecast. I have a slate at the bottom of my 25W actinic (also of Batty origins) and some of the moths hide under it. I've lined my box with corrugated cardboard as I think that provides more dark spaces for the moths to settle (the box supplied was transluscent).
Warm, calm, humid nights with cloud cover seem to be the best for mothing, especially after a sunny day.
Ken

 

[Cuckoo-shrike]

Alex, be very careful with that bulb. They are VERY fragile. I've managed to break two of them without much effort!

 

[AlexWinser]

Alex, be very careful with that bulb. They are VERY fragile. I've managed to break two of them without much effort!

Thanks for the heads up, I will watch out for that.

Cheers

Alex

 

[PaulK]

I thought it was only MV bulbs that were affected by rain - as they run very hot the rain can make them shatter. As Brian said be careful of the electrics being exposed

 

[AlexWinser]

Well last night it got to 10pm and I checked the trap and decided to bring it in. It was pretty wet inside even though I had a makeshift cover on it, not helped by the wind pushing the rain in from the sides. That's 2 nights now with nothing to show for it and I am starting to wonder if there are any moths in the area! ;-))

Might wait till the weather improves a bit now, and for the egg trays to dry out! ;-))

Alex

 

[Surreybirder]

You ought to be getting something, Alex. I'm not that far from you and I've started to get a steady trickle of moths.
The wind may be the problem. Is it possible to find a fairly sheltered spot to put the trap? I find that the egg trays dry out very quickly.
Do you check the ground around the outside of the trap? I often find more moths outside the trap than inside at the moment.
Ken

 

[AlexWinser]

Hi Ken,

I am in a town so I wonder how many I am likely to get? Only large trees around are at the front of the house and I couldn't leave the trap out there overnight. Smallish rear garden with some shrubs, shed, playhouse etc. I will continue to try. I have been checking around the traps but it has been pretty wet so I wasn't sure where they might sit?

Alex

You ought to be getting something, Alex. I'm not that far from you and I've started to get a steady trickle of moths.
The wind may be the problem. Is it possible to find a fairly sheltered spot to put the trap? I find that the egg trays dry out very quickly.
Do you check the ground around the outside of the trap? I often find more moths outside the trap than inside at the moment.
Ken

 

[Brian Stone]

Don't get too worried about a lack of moths at this point. They will come. Mine always seem to be a few days behind others. My garden is relatively cold but quite rural. An urban garden might have to wait a bit longer still. Keep trying.

 

[Surreybirder]

I agree with Brian. Keep trying!
Mine seem to like perching (if that's the right word) on our greenhouse, not more than about 4 ft from where I usually site the trap.
Ken

 

[AlexWinser]

Third time lucky and I managed a single moth last night. I think it's a Hebrew Character, maybe someone with more experience could confirm.

Not too sure how to attach the pics?

http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=42199&stc=1

Cheers

Alex

 

[Surreybirder]

Well done, Alex. Definitely a Hebrew character.
I tried my actinic last night and got about 6 moths, all the ones I could ID were small quakers.
Ken

 

[Pete Haynes]

Last night (27th)

Well done, Alex. Definitely a Hebrew character.
I tried my actinic last night and got about 6 moths, all the ones I could ID were small quakers.
Ken

Slightly cooler at 6.4C. Despite the very wet, at times, and windy, nearly all the time, conditions I decided to ignore it and put out 3 traps, 2x125MV and the 40W Actinic. I couldn't put out the fourth MV in the usual spot, one of the best sites, due to the wind (it subsequently blew the vanes and lid off the Actinic twice!) Because of the surrounding vegetation I sit it on a stool so that the light can get to where it otherwise wouldn't and it works a lot better like that. 123 moths of 14 species with the highlights being the first Early Grey of the year and a a recatch of yesterday's Dotted Chestnut, if that can be called a highlight! As the photo shows it is still in extremely good condition. An Ypsolopha ustella for the second day running - definitely not a repeat of the one caught yesterday.

Well done Alex with your Hebrew Character.

All the best for tonight
Pete H

 

[AlexWinser]

Thanks Ken and Pete.

I put the trap out tonight (28th) until 9.45pm but brought it in as I will not have time in the morning to sort it out. Found a single Hebrew Character in it again, quite possibly the same one.

Question, if I haven't got time to sort it out, would it be acceptable to cover it and leave it in the shed till the evening?

Alex

 

[PaulK]

As long as it is kept reasonably cool and in a dark place there shouldn't be any harm. When I started I used to get up at first light, cover it, go back to bed (lazy bugger) and leave it until after lunch.

I now find it much more fun emptying it at first light!!