White-spotted Pug
Syndemis musculana.
Robinson MV trap.
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Friday 12 May 2017
In the wet.
It was such a warm and windless evening on Thursday that (despite the prediction of rain), I decided to set up the MV in the alder grove at Cwmllwyd, once again. The forecast was correct: in fact we had a veritable downpour for most of the night! At five a.m. all the egg trays outside the trap were found to have metamorphosized into shapeless papier-mache blobs. Only two moths were discovered outside the trap. Nevertheless, inside the trap conditions were much better and 54 moths of 23 species had sought shelter there. There were eight FFYs: Broken-barred Carpet, Barred Umber x2, Small Square-spot, Broom Moth, Silver Y, Semioscopis steinkellneriana, along with -
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I`ve never seen "Semi steink"...perhaps one day, I`ll catch one. Glad that you managed to trap, Steve.
ReplyDeleteHow many egg trays do you put outside the trap, Steve? I've never thought of doing that, particularly when wet weather's likely, they're too valuable. Perhaps you could reconstitute the papier-mache blobs!
ReplyDeleteSix egg trays fit neatly around the periphery of a Robinson trap; they will stand a fair bit of wind with a single pebble pressed against the bottom of each tray - the top lodges under the rim of the drum. Inside the drum are four more trays, cut to enable them to be removed without disturbing the dome after the light unit is removed. Another two are halved to fill in gaps between those inside the trap. I always place the outfit on a white sheet: this attracts a few moths and lessens the risk of clumsy me trampling them when approaching the trap. The trays outside the trap frequently get a bit wet but will usually dry without damage. Egg trays can be purchased at any of several Wynnstay agricultural stores in Carms: they are as cheap as chips. I have posted a photo of the setup above.
ReplyDeleteHad my first Semioscopsis steinkellneriana 8th Apr this year, and have another one to release tonight.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for the photo and detail of your trap lay-out Steve, I can see how the array of egg trays would work with your Robinson trap. My traps are Heath and Skinner types which don't lend themselves so well to this scheme. Plus the fact that we're a bit exposed here and the trapping sites are usually windy. I had planned to get myself a Robinson trap this year but sadly I shall not be trapping quite as frequently this year as in the past, so the plan might have to be postponed.
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