Moth trap design

[Kayleigh]

Has anyone got a home-made moth trap design and how does it work, how do you power the light what light do you use..
Can you buy them if so where from.

Cheers Elaine

[JennyS]

Can you buy them if so where from.

Info on building your own:
contact

Paul Batty supplies DIY electrics etc:
Mercury Vapour MAIN PAGE

and for ready made traps:
Watkins & Doncaster Field Equipment

Moth Traps - Anglian Lepidopterist Supplies - Moth Traps & Entomological Equipment

Hope that helps to get you started

[Kayleigh]

Wow thanks for the links, I will have a look in detail later.
They are a bit expensive to buy but I do like the portable mesh one..

[nutmeg]

Which portable mesh one are you looking at?

I had a portable Johnson Ranger - and it didn't do well at all. The fabric easily tore and I just couldn't get it to stand rigidly enough - the slightest bump and the supports would slip out.

Very happy with the Robinson style trap, though.

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by nutmeg

Which portable mesh one are you looking at?

I had a portable Johnson Ranger - and it didn't do well at all. The fabric easily tore and I just couldn't get it to stand rigidly enough - the slightest bump and the supports would slip out.

Very happy with the Robinson style trap, though.

Its this one I like..

E7484 Moonlander moth trap with Goodden Light
But I will get my hubby to make me one..

[Lancashire Lad]

Has anyone considered using LED lighting for DIY moth traps?

I wouldn't know whether moths have any specific wavelength of light to which they are attracted, but if that's not a problem and any white light will do, I'm thinking that something similar to this should work very well: -
Rolson 30 LED Rechargeable Work Light 60725
Perhaps two of them back to back, or maybe three of them vertically in triangle formation, suitably located in whatever style of enclosure/trap you would need to make.

Lamps such as the one linked to can operate from 12 volts DC, and each complete unit consumes only 1.5 watts of power. Three of them strapped together would consume only 4.5 watts of power. - So would seem ideal for locations where the provision or suitability of mains voltage power could be problematical.

LED handlamps are extremely bright, (you can usually find this type of thing and try them out at any DIY store), and LED's have the advantage of commonly lasting for several thousand hours use before they fail.

With a bit of DIY ingenuity and some cable, a suitable (say 50 Ampere/hour) 12 volt car battery could be wired up to power them, and would provide power for a considerable number of hours.

And, being low voltage, there would be no risk of lethal shock injury. (Although care would obviously still need to be taken with respect to weatherproofing, and to preventing of the possibility of "shorting out" the battery).

Using a Direct Current (DC) battery, Amps = Watts/Volts
So using 4.5 watts total, and 12 volt supply as example:-
Amps = 4.5watts/12volts = 0.375Amps

Or, putting that another way - theoretically about 135 hours before your (fully charged) battery goes flat.

No mains supplies, no generators, no expensive mercury vapour lamps - Might be worth considering as a low tech & relatively inexpensive option.

Regards,
Mike.

[nightshade]

The leds do need a specific wavelength and they do better when used with reflectors. I have not got around to building one but I would also add some fresnel lenses. To date all the articles I have read suggest that it not as attractive as a good 12v system (or indeed the mercury vapour )

[Russell Bean]

Have a look at UK Safari .com
R B