Moth trap

[andy brown]

Hi new here and nice to see the support everone gets from the group! I have a question UV lamps for moth traps, i have put together a moth trap using and old assembly from my pond filter using a 9w uv bulb will this do the trick or shall i go back to the drawing board

Thanks in advance

[charlieb]

Try it and see

[Graham Barker]

andy
this is my second year of trapping, i only use a 15w actinic as i live in a built up area...so cant use anything bigger really without possibly annoying the neighbours....sometimes i catch a lot, other times i dont, no reason for a poor catch that i or others have figured out...weather conditions can play a part, such as warm evenings, no rain etc....but really, its worth a go...if you are any good at electricals you can buy kits to assemble yourself for bigger bulbs if you are finding it doesnt work out with the 9w....also, you can simply buy a kit ready to use....i made my trap from a recycling box the council provided a few years ago (we've moved on to wheelie bins so have to find a use for the old bin).....and it works no problem...good luck...got some good weather coming this week...and as you say, with i.d. especially, theres lots of good people on here to help....
graham

[leigh]

I used to have a koi pond a few years ago and use a uv light to kill unwanted germs and algae.
As i remember it , there was always a warning on the packaging of the uv bulb saying how dangerous they could be.
If you give it a go, i would ware sunglasses and not get to close to the light.

I have used the blacklight bulbs which are avalable from maplins and caught a few moths. I have also tried several 15w tubes from aquatic stores with very poor results. Now i use 15w philips special actinics which i got from Paul Batty.
these were quite cheep and my catches have increased to over 100 moths most nights. I also have a 8w philips special actinic which i use on a 12v setup. This does not catch as many moths but is more portable.

The ballast i use is designed for aquariums and can be picked up for around £15 from aquatic stores or ebay. I have put the electronics from this into a waterproof box (£6 for the box £3 for the glands from maplins)
Or you could buy the full kit from Paul for about the same money.

I always use a RCD when using mains electricity. (£9 tesco)

Good luck