At Last!............12/03

Due to the cold weather the trap has made only a few appearances this year, so this Common Quaker is a welcome addition to the garden list. But with a slightly warmer night it was a good bet we'd get something. There was also a micro moth found by the trap, unfortunately it was 'wrapped up' by a spider before I could see what it was! Another one that got away..........

Another 1st on the 1st.......

The 1st Moth caught with the new twin tube trap, this March Moth is the 10th species so far in 2010. Although very cold, (below 5°C)it still made an appearance. Maybe significantly, it was found before the moon(98% of full)came up.

UV or not UV, that is the question.........

Whilst recovering from a knee operation, I have decided to upgrade my existing trap. The single 15w externally mounted light fitting has now been removed and a twin 15w gear tray has been installed into a compartment inside the trap. Luckily, Lionel (We are the Campions) managed to acquire these trays on his latest Tescos overhaul.
After extending all of the circuits with bell wire it was possible to connect just the lamp holders onto a spring loaded contraption to hold both tubes. I have kept the 15w 350BL Actinic tube out of the old light fitting and have fitted a 15w UV filtered black tube alongside. These are relatively cheap and hopefully will increase the light spectrum emitted from the trap. There is an added advantage to suspending the tubes in that there is no light 'wastage'. With light emanating from the whole tube, it must therefore be more efficient.............well that's the theory anyway!

Let's hope the Moths approve..............

The Maiden Voyage............

After a few weeks of designing, making and researching light sources and materials it was time for the test run of the prototype model. This is a derivative of a conventional Skinner trap and is fully portable. It runs on a 12v Yuasa battery and all of the wires and running gear are concealed under a trap door in the main chamber. It benefits from a flush mounted light sensitive switch which can be adjusted to come on in various light conditions. You can also manually turn the trap off and on using a toggle switch. It is running an 8w clear UV lamp, but can be inter changed with an actinic or UV 'disco light'. At present the battery life is 18+ hours using the current lighting method.
The tube is suspended without the use of a rail, therefore not wasting any light and the inside is brilliant white which again will reflect light outwards. The trap is light weight and fully collapsible, it is also simply to open the trap door and retrieve the battery for charging (a trickle charge with an inexpensive car battery charger does the trick!)

In addition, we have designed a fully collapsible canopy to prevent the electrics (and the egg boxes and moths) getting a good soaking.

All in all on paper it looked good..............but would all the development work pay off?

Off course it did, look at the posting below!

Sweet Chestnut!........24/02

.........and this is the result of the 1st testing. This Chestnut was found lurking under the egg boxes, as well as a 4th Early Moth record nearby on the shed.

A Successful 1st outing for a humble 8 watter. The battery powered the trap for at least 18 hours (possibly up to 22), which means it could be upgraded with a more powerful tube. More testing needed but a good start none the less.

Mystery Catty?

This was taken last September- as yet haven't a clue?...................

The general consensus is Cabbage Moth in its pre pupation stage.......

Angle Shades...................

Fairly convinced this is what these are, it could be a flavour of what's in store later on in Spring!

Lodge Micro?.........07/02

This Micro was almost overlooked. In my defence it was only about 10mm long. Having trawled UK Moths, I'm still none the wiser!

Looks likely to be #1053/54 Acleris cristana/hastiana, an extremely variable species of Tortricidae per David Manning.

The Lodge.......07/02

Another trip up to The Lodge this Sunday with the kids and a few moths to boot!

• Winter Moth x4
• Pale Brindled Beauty x2- including a monacharia (photo top)
• March Moth (middle)
• Grey Shouder-knot (bottom)
  
  
  

The 1st Micro of the year.........05/02

I could be wrong, but I believe this is an Agonopterix heracliana.

This is a hibernating species that apparently flies from September right through Winter and is common. I'm just waiting for confirmation from Mr. Manning..........

Also another different Pale Brindled Beauty. But a further cold snap is on it's way and the trap will be moth-balled for a week or so.

I.D Confirmed......Many thanks David.

P.B.B........

Species no. 7 for the year is this Pale Brindled Beauty, another garden 1st ever in 2010. The only moth 'caught' as it is still pretty cold out there!

The Mothmen Prophecy!

The Moth-ers of Invention get ready for the 1st ever Beds Moth Group meeting in Lower Stondon. Note: New moth T-shirts, kindly bought as a Christmas present by Kristy. Also a copy of Waring and Lewington's excellent field guide.



Special thanks to Andy, Melissa and David for their time and effort.

A Winter flurry.........18/01

A Really amazing catch considering it is January. After so much cold weather, a sudden temperature rise(6-8°C) and perfect conditions must have done the trick! No less than 3 new ticks for the garden starting with an Early Moth (top) which was found near the trap on some tarpaulin. Next down was 1 of 4 Winter Moth sp. caught, all preferred to settle near the trap rather than in it. Pictured is the lightest and largest of the 4, but to be honest compared to others I've seen they all looked quite light to me?..........any ideas?-

3rd down is only the second Satellite found in the garden, this one was on the side of the conservatory.

2nd from bottom is a very dark Mottled Umber- finally trapped after endless blanks, a welcome garden 1st.

Bottom is another shot of the Dark Chestnut.

On balance, well worth putting out the trap!

N.B. 1 of the Winter Moths (photo above) now confirmed as a 'Northern' and so is the 6th species so far this year and yet another debutant for the garden. Thanks to Andy & Melissa for confirmation.

A good start!...........

A new year and a new moth! This Dark Chestnut is another garden 1st. Having seen the weather forecast, (overcast, mild at 8°C with little wind) it was time to give the trap a whirl for the 1st time this year. Just 90 minutes after the trap went on, in came Mr Chestnut!