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Mooning
at Moths
____________________________________________________
Posted: 23rd May 2008
Photo: Bedstraw Hawk-moth - Nigel Harland |
Considering
the average UK garden has an estimated 35 moth species to every one
butterfly species it's surprising that more of them don't get noticed. Most
people are familiar with the dull brown jobs which eat clothes, but if
you take the time to look, there are some spectacular moth species to be
found.
The main reason the good looking moths get missed is because they are so
clever at concealing themselves. They camouflage themselves as tree bark,
lichen, dead leaves, or even twigs. The only time they give themselves away
is when they fly, and most of them do that at night when we're all tucked up
in bed.
If you really want to make them come out of hiding then you have a simple
decision to make:
1) Do you can sit and wait for them to fly into view? This requires a great
deal of time and the
patience of a Buddhist Monk.
Not an easy option.
or
2) Do you cheat?
Now that you've decided to take option 2 there are
several methods you can try...
1) Natural Lures
The reason most moths come out at night is either to find a mate, or to feed
on nectar. If you have the right type of plants in your garden you'll
attract a lot more moths. Colourful flowers don't do much for night-flying
insects. What draws them in is the scent. Moths are always attracted to
flowers which give off a strong scent at night. Plants such as Evening
primrose, Honeysuckle, Sedum, Red Campion, Ivy, Red Valerian, Buddleia and
the Tobacco plant are great 'bio-moth-magnets'.
Photo: Lime Hawk-moth -
Janet Carter |
2) Wine Ropes
What you're doing here is providing an artificial nectar for the moths to drink.
Simply mix up some red wine in a bowl with some sugar and then dip a length of old
hessian rope in it until it is completely soaked in the liquid. Then hang
the rope on a nearby tree. You don't have to use rope. An old tea cloth, or even an old sock will work just as well.
Once they start drinking the mixture, the moths get too drunk to fly off, and then you can place them in suitable containers for identification.
Photo: Gavin
Brown |
3) Sugaring
This is similar method to wine roping, but with a thicker mixture, which is painted onto fence posts or tree trunks to attract the moths. It's made by mixing 1kg of brown sugar and half a kilo of black treacle. The whole mixture is heated in a saucepan until it
boils. You need to keep stirring all the time, and then simmer for five minutes until all the sugar has dissolved. Stir in some brown ale and a few drops of rum, and allow it to cool. As it cools you'll find that the sugar will
crystallize on the surface of the mixture, but just stir it back in. When it's cold you can transfer it to a storage jar ready to be used.
Photo: Moth trap in action - G. Bradley |
3)
Mooning
This is by far the easiest method - and much less sticky - and no, it
doesn't involve dropping your trousers.
Mooning at moths takes advantage of the moths natural attraction to light.
Moths need to navigate in the darkness, and they do this using the light of
the moon. This is why you often see confused moths fluttering around street
lights at night.
'Mooning' has a similar effect. It lures the moths towards a
bright light. To start 'mooning' simply drape a white sheet over a fence or branch, and prop a
bright torch up so it's shining on the sheet. After an hour or so several insects will be attracted by the light and will land on the sheet. You can take a good look at them while they rest on the sheet.
Specially made light traps are available which emit ultra-violet light.
Ultra violet light is especially attractive to moths. As they get nearer to the light, they
spiral round it, and then tumble down into a trap below, where they
stay unharmed until the trap is emptied. With one of these you can attract over a hundred moths in a single night, and over 150 species each year. You may find yourself wondering where they all manage to hide in the daytime.
Mooning works best on a warm, still, moonless night.
 |
Related Links:
UK Safari Moth Section
UK Safari News
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