Light-traps re-visited

Tony Thomas mothman at nbnet.nb.ca
Tue Apr 23 13:34:46 EDT 2002


	In what is otherwise a cold Spring, last night, 22 April,  was reasonably 
mild (well, it was above freezing) and so I ventured out to a local 
forest  to sample the moths. Normally a fan of the 22 w circline BL I 
rigged up one of my traps with a clear 175 w MV.
	These lights are BRIGHT! Whereas the 22 w BL gives a point-source of light 
with little of it  being reflected from the surrounding trees, the 175 w MV 
lit up a large area with tree trunks and branches all brightly illuminated. 
The trap actually caught 5 moths (best catch of the year!) in the 1 hr 
before the temperature went down to freezing. However, I did notice that 2 
noctuids never actually made it to the trap but seemed happy to fly around 
the brightly lit branches of the maples, no leaves, and the pines, 
completely out of reach. With the 22 w BL, most moth seem to end up in the 
trap, a few geometrids will sit on the lamp and the vanes and a few others, 
including noctuids, will sit on adjacent bushes within about 6 feet of the 
trap.
	Bottom line seems to be: use a 22 BL in forests and save the 175 w Mv's 
for the wide open spaces where there are no reflective surfaces.
	Incidentally, when trapping in forests I like to get right in among the 
trees rather than selecting an opening or forest track.
	The catch: Cerastis salicarum -2, Feralia jocosa -1, Lithophane tepida -2. 
When I got home there was a single male Lycia ursaria under the MV lamp at 
my local mini mall. For any Brit's reading this, ursaria is almost 
identical to your Brindled Beauty (L. hirtaria).

Tony @  Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. ca. 46 N 66 39 W.
	


 
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