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Post by Eristic on Sept 9, 2015 22:18:32 GMT
As I am considering the purchase of a moth trap I wondered if any of you could recommend which is better. The trap will need to be battery operated and the choice from ALS appears to be a "Heath Trap" or the "Skinner Trap". Does any of the gang have a preference or recommendation?
Many thanks.
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Post by htcdude on Sept 10, 2015 13:00:15 GMT
I've not used a heath trap before but have heard they're good. I only have a 125W MV skinner trap which I much prefer as it gives off much more light and attracts a lot more  Nige |
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Post by wharfrat on Sept 10, 2015 16:36:43 GMT
I use a Heath Trap once a week in a woodland setting. The highest catch I've had in it in three years was just over 100 moths of 40 species, all with only a 6W bulb! I haven't, though, done a side-by-side comparison with a Skinner, so I have no real insight as to which trap retains more moths.
I suppose the best advantage of the Heath is that it's small and easily portable. I have a home-made skinner in the garden at home, but it doesn't need to move very often! It is mains-powered and it is easy for me to run different types of bulbs on this trap.
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Post by Eristic on Sept 15, 2015 0:10:10 GMT
Thanks to both of you for taking the trouble to post your experiences. I have to say that given the popularity of the 'Moth of the Day' threads I had hoped for more responses but presumably most folks have the luxury of mains power to hand.
This year I have been seriously concerned about the sudden drop in numbers of Lepidoptera, both in the number of species and the individual species count. While I can count the butterflies, moths are more difficult but there does not seem to be many caterpillars in my polytunnel. A moth trap that works reasonably well would help to establish a more reliable counting record but I do need to consider the expense vs efficiency.
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Post by wharfrat on Sept 15, 2015 18:19:34 GMT
If expense is an issue (it is for me...) home-made is definitely a good option; just buy the electrics and all a moth trap really is is a box with a hole in it. Or two holes if you don't want it to fill up with water on a wet night. The hole needs to be funneled in some way (heath uses a traditional funnel, skinner uses sloping sides with baffles to reduce escape).
My skinner is made from some plywood I found in a skip, with some perspex windows from my garden shed. A heath type thing would use a cheap funnel with the spout cut off. A friend uses one of those plastic storage boxes with a clip-on lid that costs about a fiver from large diy shops, with a funnel cut into the lid; I've now got one of these ready to make a new trap for next season.
Also, it is possible to run 240v electrics off a 12v battery using an inverter; another friend has run a 40w actinic all night - albeit in the summer, so shorter night! - from a single car battery.
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