Lightsheeting, A beginners guide...

[Rev. Redmond Farrier]

When I first got into collecting using lights, I discovered that it is difficult to find any instructions more detailed than "Put a mercury vapor bulb in front of a white sheet to collect insects at night."

I know that there is much more involved to successfully collect using a lightsheet. There are also many tips for improved success at lightsheeting. I saw in another thread where it was mentioned that a bright moon hinders success at lights. I had my suspicions that this was the case, but had never had anyone confirm it. That is just one example.

I would like to gather as many tips and tricks, from the most basic such as location, distance of light from the sheet, and choosing a sheet and light, to the most advanced "secret" tips that can improve your haul on a night out collecting by the light.

When I get enough information to take someone from knowing nothing about collecting to lightsheeting like a pro, I will try to make a video guide for YouTube. (unless someone more adept at that sort of thing decides to do it for me, in which case I will happily step aside to let the expert do it better )

[mantisboy]

These are no "secrets", just some things that I have picked up on over the years. Typically, the hotter and more humid, the better. Just make sure it isn't going to rain, as it often does on humid nights. Also, the less wind there is, the better. I always put my light upon my deck so its higher up, but I don't know if this has any affect. Lastly, if you have access to an "edge habitat", between like a field or forest, that will normally get a greater variety.

[africaone]

moon is fundamental for night hunting.
You have to hunt around the new moon (4-5 days before and after).
If the moon is bright, better is to hunt during hours were it is not present or cancelled by clouds.
a hot, humid weather favorises the hunting as clouds ....

where to put the trap is also very important. It is like butterfly, you have trail or places where they come better than others.
Type of vegetation is of course also fundamental (as for butterfly).

some species (such as Micragone martinae or colettae) comes to light better during heavy rain (in tropical rain forest in Africa). It is a real problem to obatin them in good quality in such situation.

to trap some females, better is to hunt directly around the foodplant (males are easier to trap as they travel to search for females). travel with your lamp from place to place during the night provides more females (for the reason just cited).

I personally believe that species are not attracted from long distance (no more than a few dozen meters) and then you must imagine you trap as a net of some dozen meters wide, no more.

some species visit your trap just a few second and you have to net them on the wing very quickly when they arrive (some sphingidae, many noctuids, ...)

Of course many other details such like spotted around the trap with a torch, looking for concealled specimens under trunk of foliage around the trap at the beginning of the day, put a sheet on the soil to see the very small things (bettles hunters), ....

[58chevy]

Rev. Farrier,

Have you checked out the Leptraps website?

[rayrard]

Me and a friend night collected up in PA and we were able to test the mercury vapor vs. blacklight that I'd always been wondering. We strung sheets up across the same trail, just out of visual line with each other, me with a 15 watt Bioquip BL and him with a 150 watt MV bulb.

I noticed very similar biomass and diversity, with maybe a bit more diversity of medium and small moths at the blacklight. The MV light brought in several species of sphinx (2 Paonias, C. undulosa, juglandis, and S. gordius) but the BL brought in a Luna and 2 sphinxes.

It was perfect conditions with no moon, a 95 degree day previously and high humidity. The only negative was that Catocala were not flying yet

[Rev. Redmond Farrier]

Thank you all for the tips! I am going to wait a little longer and see if anyone else has anything to add and then I am going to get some batteries for my camera and get a video guide going. I don't have the best camera for the job, nor do I feel that I am experienced enough to teach others on the subject, but until someone else decides to do it better, my little attempt will have to suffice.

I did check out that website by the way. If I were wealthy, I would have most of the stuff sold there, but currently it is priced way out of my price range. I find myself going back there on occasion, wishing I could afford the setups there.

[Rev. Redmond Farrier]

I have begun recording bits and pieces of the video. I would really love to hear from some of you more seasoned collectors about things like positioning of the mv light and whether or not having a blacklight on at the same time as the mv bulb will bring in more insects, or if it is just drowned out by the mv, and anything else I could add to the video. I have to wait until my new bulbs arrive before I can do a large portion of the video, so it will still be a while before it will be done.

[nitelightman]

Another Option
I live in a subdivision with broad hardwood drainage areas and a mix of pastures and broken woodlots. This has led me to avoiding the use of the high output of the MV bulbs as a courtesy to my neighbors. I use them in remote locations. My backyard rig consist of quality white sheets king size, one ground and one backer/reflector. the top light is a horizontally mounted pair of Quantum 24 inch black light bulbs that throw the more attractive 365 nm wave length and under these i have mounted vertically two 48 inch double bulb fixtures with four standard black light bulbs. It looks like a large illuminated T. The backer/reflecter sheet is mounted to a frame that projects outward on both sides. Similar to standing an open book on it's bottom edge. it projects forward towards you and intensifies the target by catching and refecting light that would be lost to the sides. It is very effective and has terrific range of draw for not having a MV light on it.