Mothing - advice

[Rogerdodge]

Sorry to hear about the slow recovery.
Keep smiling
Have a look at the Skinner trap here-
Less than £150 all in.
http://www.angleps.com/mothtraps.php
HTH
Roger

[Chris Pickford]

jack,

I tried moff-ing this year for the first time using a very low cost trap (Paul Batty) based on a low pressure ring light like the ones in mosquito traps in restaurants. It may not be as effective as a higher powered trap, but it has certainly brought in many species of interest, sometimes in quite large numbers (eg Elephant hawks, Privet hawks, Puss Moth, Garden Tiger, Pine Hawk etc etc). For an even cheaper alternative, there are UV emitting high efficiecy lamps for sale now which look like the normal household lamps but are dark blue or black. I've run one of these plus a sheet a few times with quite spectacular effect, eg in France it attracted three Giant Peacock Moths one night.

I have a cat, who has never shown the slightest interest in moths, although he is partial to the odd spider and grasshopper - don't worry about cats. Birds though, as indicated are an issue. I've had to use a "bird repelling device" a few times to keep the blackbirds and chaffinches off.....

So, I'd say, go for it....

Chris

[Denise]

Hi Jack,

Here is an amusing tale, though not at the time, to help your leg get better.

A couple of years ago I borrowed my brother's pride and joy, (his home made moth trap,) for a night, just to see if I could get anything.
Now, where I live, if you leave something in the garden that isn't nailed down, it usually goes walkies, and this being borrowed, I sat and watched it for 3 hours.
It is made of a light weight metal, square box shape with a removable handle (which holds the light bulb) 2 sliding clear perspex "lids" angled that leave a big enough gap for the moths to fall into the box, and a proper lid, to hold the catch when finished for the night. Well, that's what I thought anyway. It was actually meant to protect the equipment when stored, I later found out.

So, enthusiastically one warm evening at dusk I set the trap in my garden near to the flower border, switched on the rather funky blue/violet light and watched. I was quite surprised at just how many things fly at night. Anyway as I said 3 hours later, I switched off the light, removed the handle and put the lid on. I put the box in my kitchen until the next morning.

At 5.30 I awoke quite excited and dashed downstairs, opened the kitchen door and was totally horrified to find moths on everything. The windows were especially bad, but they were on the walls and every where. Now hubby wasn't too keen on the idea to start with, so I had an hour to "clear" the kitchen before he got up. I got the fan from the living room, opened all the windows and blew what I could out. It was a delicate and painstaking job to move the stubborn ones but I did it.

When I looked in the box there were only half a dozen left so all in all a nightmare.

Denise

[Jack Harrison]

Serves you right! I presume a moth trap should be left outside until it's daylight when with luck, the moths should have become dormant.

I have my own story that my sister Jennifer is forever reminding me about. She is eight years younger and never shared my enthusiasm for moths and butterflies (actually she hated moths - still does I think). Anyway, one summer evening when she was about eight years old, I decided that some education would be appreciated. Lots of moths flew to my bedroom light. I scooped up several dozen and put them in a box. I took them into Jennifer's bedroom where she was reading in bed, and opened the box. Moths flew everywhere, she screamed and Dad rushed up the stairs. For some reason Dad did not appreciate my efforts to help my younger sister learn about moths. I can't quite recall what my immediate punishment was, but a few months later when we were out in the car, Jennifer got her own back. I was in the front passenger seat and she was immediately behind. I suspect Mum colluded with her prank when Jennifer carefully - and unnoticed at the time - stuck some chewing gum in my hair.

It's her 62nd birthday next February. What do you people think of the idea of giving her a moth tap as a birthday present?

My leg. New course of medication just started. NO ALCOHOL until Christmas Eve

Jack

[Susie]

My first attempt with a home made moth trap was an experience.

I described what I needed for mothing to my husband, basically a bright light in a holder that I could put on a white sheet and sit next to with my net and he dutifully went off to make me something.

That evening was perfect, it had been a very hot sunny summers day and we sat out at dusk in the garden and waited for the moths to come. I thought it was a tad odd when we turned on the light and it was so bright we had to wear sunglasses at night and it was just too bright for me to sit next to so we retired to the lounger to watch in comfort.

The first moth was spotted heading towards the light. Puff! Up it went in a whisp of smoke. Along came another. Instantly cremated also. It turns out that the old man had made it from a halogen spot light. I turned it off eventually