16 species, but nothing in the trap

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melbellingham
Posts: 834
Joined: Tue Jun 14, 2011 7:00 pm
Location: Great Sutton, Cheshire. Mapmate.

16 species, but nothing in the trap

Post by melbellingham »

On the final check last night (08/10/2018) before bed, I made a note of any species on or near the trap (usually found on the wall) and counted 7 species.

I was checking the trap in the dark at 6:45am this morning but I couldn’t see anything in the trap.

By torchlight I found 32 moths of 16 species, either on the trap or nearby on the wall or floor.

My usual routine would then be to block off the inlet holes to the trap and switch off the lamp, wait for daylight and count the moths in the trap.

I run a Robinson trap in the garden, and as I am of the opinion that the entrance holes are too big, I have made a modification to mine, by fitting a cut down small kitchen type funnel. I have cut off the ‘spout’ leaving a hole about 25mm diameter. This funnel is taped to the base of the trap funnel. To block off the trap I simply slide in the top off any plastic milk ‘bottle’.

I can now guess that you are already ahead of me. Yes, I had left the plastic top in from the night before. Put it down to age, I do……. :oops:
Garden Records 08/10/2018
Garden Records 08/10/2018

Mel.
SteveH
Posts: 2072
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 9:50 am
Location: Elton, Cheshire

Re: 16 species, but nothing in the trap

Post by SteveH »

Hi Mel,

I wasn't actually he perpetrator of this particular crime but we were doing a mass moth trapping session somewhere in Devon a few years back and I elected to stay in the visitors centre of the reserve - which meant sleeping on a table in my clothes overnight as there were facilities whatsoever.... So I gets up in the morning, aching from head to toe and walks like an invalid on drugs the half mile to a trap we had positioned in some pastureland and encountered the same situation. Lots of moths on the outside but not one inside. I was scratching my head for a while before seeing the reason. The tissue papers used to block off the entrance holes to the trap were all still in place!

Cheers,
Steve
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