D.I.Y. moth trap.

[Kleftiwallah]

Is there any point in making a moth trap (got most of the bits) at this time of year, or should I leave it untill spring? Cheers, Tony.

[Robert S J Smith]

Personally I would make it now so it's ready for the forth coming spring. I hope to make myself one over the winter months so it's ready for spring next year.

regards,

Robert

[Kleftiwallah]

Thanks for the input Robert. It is really a question of space, not much storage space in 'the shed'. Cheers, Tony.

[triops]

Yes, its still worth running a trap. I'm still getting 10-15 species a night. As for making one, try contact
for a design, and maybe make it collapsible for storage. Have fun!

[nutmeg]

Last year I stopped trapping at the end of September and didn't put the trap out again until mid-March, but this year I'm planning to keep trapping on and off through the winter. I've already had quite a few new species for the garden this October - and there are plenty of common ones I've yet to see here, so I'm hoping they'll appear!

Give it a go!

[theresa dockery]

Originally Posted by Kleftiwallah

Is there any point in making a moth trap (got most of the bits) at this time of year, or should I leave it untill spring? Cheers, Tony.

There are plenty of species still on the wing!
Here are some 'winter' species which fly between November and February:

Lasiocampidae:
December Moth.

Geometridae:
Blood Vein, various Thera species, the grey November Moths (Epirrita species), the Winter Moths (Operophtera species), Feathered Thorn, Oak Beauty (a big & dramatic!) & Agriopis species.

Sphingidae:
Convolvulus Hawkmoth (an immigrant - huge & very spectacular!)

Notodontidae:
Plumed Prominent & Figure of Eight.

Noctuidae:
Sprawler, several Lithophane species, Red Swordgrass, Green-brindled Crescent (metallic green, glittery!), a range of very beautiful orange-chestnut-red noctuids (Satellite, Orange Upperwing, Chestnut, Brick, Yellow-line Quaker...), Barred Sallow (pinkish-red, yellow, orange) & Herald (vivid orange & brown moth - a maple leaf in insect form!).

....Add to that stragglers of various autumn flying species (Angle Shades etc).

[JennyS]

A good way to find out what species are still to be seen (with photo's) is to check the 'What's Flying' sections of the different moth group websites.

Here are some links, plenty of reasons to keep putting the trap out when weather conditions are good:

What moths may be flying this week in Suffolk

Hants Moths - Flying Tonight

http://back-garden-moths.co.uk/commu...ightID=October

[Pete Collins]

I'm new to moth trapping, having only got a trap about seven weeks ago, but I certainly intend to continue using it all year round. I may use it just once a month through the winter, rather than about once a week as I've been doing so far. I'm really interested in seeing what species are around each month, even if I only get a handful of moths in the trap each session.

There's still plenty about at the moment. On Friday/Saturday night I had 34 moths (20 species, including six that were new to me).

In fact, a good thing about starting trapping now is that you won't be overwhelmed by the number of moths you attract. When I used my trap for the first time in late August, I had 150-200 moths which was quite daunting! I'd have never have sorted them all out without the kind help of my friends on WAB,