moth trap blues

[Graham Barker]

hello
i know its been cold in the evenings and overnight of late but.....i trapped some moths in april asthe wesather was warm and had a little success, new species etc though low counts.....now its may, when ive usually had a lot more success...the counts are very low...one or two....thats it...is anyone else having problems?....is it just due to the weather??....i usually get a reasonable number in may.....any ideas??

graham

[nutmeg]

I had the same problems with lack of moths until this week. Last weekend on National Moth Night I managed a sorry two moths, but things have picked up considerably over the past few days. Last night was clear, but warm, and I found quite a few new for the year (and in a couple of cases new for the garden) moths.

Hope things pick up for you too.

[peter2009]

Graham,
You don't say what kind of trap you use,low wattage Actinic's wont catch much in the summer months,what you need is a Robinson type trap 125MV
then you will catch plenty,

peter

[Adam Cheeseman]

Pretty poor fair here too. Struck it out on Friday night after a hot and humid day only for it to cool considerably overnight. Got less than 10 moths, but at least I got a new lifer, a Least Black Arches.

Keep perservering it should pick up soon if it already hasn't.

Cheers,

Adam

[nutmeg]

I agree with Peter about type of trap. This time last year I tried using a low wattage actinic and was sorely disappointed with it. I quickly switched to a 125W MV Robinson and the difference was satisfyingly remarkable.

[Moonmoth]

Hiya Dont think we've really been trapping much this early before .But over the last few nights we have had 5 Green carpets every night probably helped by having every sort of Bedstraw in the garden and a Toadflax brocade also probably brought in by my Pink and Purple and Yellow Toadflax .We were very excited when we trapped our first one last year just goes to show that planting food can bring in moths .

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by Moonmoth

Hiya Dont think we've really been trapping much this early before .But over the last few nights we have had 5 Green carpets every night probably helped by having every sort of Bedstraw in the garden and a Toadflax brocade also probably brought in by my Pink and Purple and Yellow Toadflax .We were very excited when we trapped our first one last year just goes to show that planting food can bring in moths .

I haven't seen Toadflax Brocade adults in my garden (I don't have a trap) but most years recently find the larvae on Purple Toadflax- usually small, self sown ones in pots rather than the larger ones in the soil. Hansome caterpillars!

[Abraxus]

There is often a lull in moth numbers through late April into May and it isn't really until late May that things kick off. That combined with some cold nights recently will have denuded catch numbers. As for traps, I run two 15w Actinics in my garden and am fairly pleased with the results. Brighter lights would not be practical for my location

[Graham Barker]

hello everyone....and thanks very much for your responses....i run a 15w actinic...but am in a similar position to some people that i cant use anything brighter....im surrounded by houses so anything more intrusive would be too much for some of my neighbours.....however, i have found in the past that may is a good time to start catching, maybe the 'lull' talked about above is something to do with it....although i dont catch huge numbers i do catch a good range, around 80 species last year,and sometimes up to 35 moths per night....i realise this isnt a big number, but its quite a pleasing result for my location....i am planning on moving next year and hoping to eventually investin something a bit better....
happy mothing everyone...
graham

[Abraxus]

Originally Posted by Graham Barker

hello everyone....and thanks very much for your responses....i run a 15w actinic...but am in a similar position to some people that i cant use anything brighter....im surrounded by houses so anything more intrusive would be too much for some of my neighbours.....however, i have found in the past that may is a good time to start catching, maybe the 'lull' talked about above is something to do with it....although i dont catch huge numbers i do catch a good range, around 80 species last year,and sometimes up to 35 moths per night....i realise this isnt a big number, but its quite a pleasing result for my location....i am planning on moving next year and hoping to eventually investin something a bit better....
happy mothing everyone...
graham

Its all about location Graham. Although I live in a fairly built up area, there are a few big trees at the end of my garden and extensive woodland areas within half a mile. I probably get between 300 & 400 species a year(including micro's) and the garden "list" is over 500 species in 4 years. Of course, Hampshire is a good county for moths, which helps!