Mothing on the cheap

[Keith Talbot]

Hi all,

Just thought id share with all a cheap way to enjoying mothing.

Ive recently been bitten by the moth watching bug after an invite to go trapping in the depths of the New Forest, on seeing the amazing beauty and shear volume of moths i thought id see what was lurking in my back garden.

Not wanting to spend out lots i put my thinking cap on and put together a length of wire with a plug and bulb holder at each end then added a 150w low energy bulb and hung it in my conservatory window.

I bought various specimen pots etc from a well know auction site and bingo!

About every 10-15 mins i take a wander out side to see whats been attracted i pot some up till the morning so i can take some pics then let them go,the last 3 nights i have collected about 35 different moths, not a huge amount i know but more than enough to study and try and id before the next night,hanging it indoors obviously means its safe in all weathers and i just pack it away at bed time

Its not rocket science i know but it only cost about £15 all told! and i get to see some amazing looking moths

Among the Moths ive id so far are ;

Swallow Tailed
Scalloped Oak
Small Blood Vein
Yellow Shell
Beautiful Hook Tip
Bee Moth

With plenty more still to id

If you havent done it because of the possible cost then just get a table lamp out near a window its amazing what you'll attract and if nothing else you'll get to marvel at the amazing names they have.

Keith

[Pete Collins]

Thanks for the suggestion Keith. I might try something like that sometime, I'm getting really interested in Moths and would love to trap and ID some.

[Keith Talbot]

It works really well pete, im having some good success with it

[RobS]

I bought a moth trap off e-bay about 3 years ago for £55 which was a bargain compared with what a new one costs. It is really just a MV bulb with a transformer (incidentally if anyone wants to make one then for some odd reason the trap came with about 6 transformers so I have a few spares).

I am up to 66 species now (and this is in suburban Southampton) including Elephant, Poplar and Hummingbird hawkmoths (okay the last one wasn't trapped) plus some really nice other ones, Phoenix, Iron Prominent and most of the larger Yellow Underwing species (beautiful).

The only downside is that despite the fact you can sit with the moth (sometimes on your finger) with the book in front of you, it can still be bloody difficult to identify them and I have had to resort to forums such as this for help!

Rob S

[Keith Talbot]

Originally Posted by RobS

The only downside is that despite the fact you can sit with the moth (sometimes on your finger) with the book in front of you, it can still be bloody difficult to identify them and I have had to resort to forums such as this for help!

Rob S

I hear you there rob

Its all part of the fun tho

[Miss Caretaker]

I'm having some success with a spare aquarium tube balanced on the arms of a garden chair with a once-white shirt underneath and another hanging on the back. Total cost: £0.00 if you happen to have fish tanks!
Jo