Planning for next season (if I have a job by then)

[Rev. Redmond Farrier]

Well, this season is nearly over and it has not been that great of a season for me. Odd weather coupled with the doldrums that attack the mind when losing a job of 12 years did not add up to a good season for collecting. Carelessness and a lack of organization also cost me a huge part of my collection due to a dermestid infestation. (I didn't even notice until I glanced at my wunderkammer and saw that an entire snakeskin had turned to dust.) My collection was already small and now it is only a few dozen specimens. Rather than seeing this as a setback though, I see it as a chance to start over nearly from scratch and do it like it should be done this time. (organization, proper labeling, and proper storage!!)

I have around half a dozen sets of chest of drawers other than the one I use for it's intended purpose and plan to start setting them up as makeshift bug cabinets. The initial setup will simply be lining the drawers with styrofoam and placing no pest strips in each drawer. When I get a job, that can be improved upon by sealing each drawer and fashioning an airtight plexiglas lid for each one. By the time I fill up that many drawers I should have had a job long enough to afford to build proper insect cabinets.

I am also looking into making my light sheet set portable. Here I have a few questions though. I have a self ballasted mv light on a stand that folds up nice and compact and a sheet with the necessary poles and such that rolls up to about the size of a 2 man tent (not when the tent is up of course!) I can toss the entire set up in the backseat of my car and still have more than enough room for a couple of passengers. What I need is power. Would a deep cycle battery and an inverter keep that bulb burning most of the night, or would I need a way to feed power back into the battery for it to work more than a few hours? If so, are there options other than a gas generator for doing so? I found a few camp stove generators online and they along with the campstove take up a negligible amount of space. The most powerful I found though is a 30watt. I know next to nothing about electricity, so I don't know if that would be anywhere near enough to keep me up and running for the night. If it is, the entire weight of the system (figuring on around 50lb of battery) would be less than 80lb. That isn't light, but it could be hiked in to a relatively remote area without too much trouble

I have one more question before I close this rather lengthy post. How do you find areas to set up? I don't want to go through the trouble of hauling the gear in and setting it up only to have a cop show up and tell me that I cannot be there. Most of the land around here is private property. I have to be careful not to trespass, otherwise I may end up with Farmer John in my face with a shotgun. All of my friends that I am close enough to to ask live in areas with too much light pollution to be viable collecting spots. Any tips or tricks to land that perfect collecting area will be much appreciated.

Rev. R. Farrier

p.s. please ignore any typos, grammatical errors, etc. it is late and I am too tired to proofread! lol

[lepidofrance]

" How do you find areas to set up? I don't want to go through the trouble of hauling the gear in and setting it up only to have a cop show up and tell me that I cannot be there. Most of the land around here is private property."

Here in France, we use to go in national forests. Until now, night collecting is free. And even if we moved to the edge of a field (private property), what could tell the owner if you do not destroy crops? See us capture moths rather delights farmers who spend their time to flood their fields with insecticids! Of course, it's best to ask permission before taking up!

In other countries (mainly tropical countries), we use to choose a motel or a lodge with a garden not far from a forest (or better, inside a clearing in the forest) and we ask for the owner's authorization. See, for example, the photo from the Carbets du Bord Lodge in Saül (Guyane)

Always in French Guyane, it's still much better, some lodges are devoted to entomology and have night collecting equipment. No need to load equipment, simply rent the equipment. See the ohotos from Relais de Patawa (Montagne de Kaw).

[lepidofrance]

At Ebogo, Cameroon, it is the villagers who offer their installation (in front of their house) for night collection!

[beetlehorn]

If you want to collect insects on private property, you can't really get around the fact that you need to ask the owner. Most people I know have no problem letting you go if you show them what you are doing. Even farmers that wouldn't let someone hunt game on their property would most likely let you collect bugs simply because you're not carrying a gun. There are those that don't want anyone on their property no matter what. Don't let that deter you, just move on to another place. I have through the years gotten permission in lots of places including WMA's and even the local university's private farm. It all comes down to a matter of trust on the landowner's part. Present your hobby to them in an interesting way, make it clear you will respect their wishes, and maybe even offer some help. I am a mechanic by trade, so sometimes I give advice or do some small repairs to establish trust. I even invite them to come and see my setup, so they will know I am doing exactly what I proposed, and not damaging crops, harming livestock, riding down fences, or leaving gates open. You just need to get out there and present yourself as being a legitimate collector, then the rest will fall into place.

[mantisboy]

Regarding private property, it also really helps if you take some "pest species". Soon after I moved to where I live now, there was a neighborhood get-potluck gathering, at which I found some Tobacco Hornworms (Manduca sexta) devouring the host's tomato plants. Ever since then, I have had free reign to collect throughout my neighborhood.

[Rev. Redmond Farrier]

Thank you all for your replies. I guess I need to do a bit of research on collecting on public lands and find out where the suitable public lands are around here. There is a WMA about half an hour from here that I want to look into. I haven't been there since they closed the shooting range there a couple of years ago, but I remember the land being ideal for setting up on. I never thought to seek permission because I haven't been there since I started collecting. I may have someone I know who would let me set up on his pasture land. It is a bit awkward to approach him with what would seem to him like a sissy hobby, but if I bring my tommy gun and AR to let him do a little target practice, he will probably happily agree to let me set up for the night.

All this will be for naught though if I cannot get my setup mobile since I am currently limited to the distance my dropcord will reach from an electricity source. Anybody have any thoughts on the questions in my original post regarding this? I have my eye on a little part time job that would allow me to scrape together a little money to spend on non essentials. If I land the job, I would like to know what I need to save for.

[58chevy]

Until you get your lighting equipment, an alternative collecting method is to visit brightly-lit gas stations at night, preferably in rural areas. I usually wait until they close (around 11pm or midnight) and nobody is around. I have caught more bugs this way than by blacklighting. You also don't have to haul equipment around. Each station is like having a light rig in that area. You can cruise around looking for promising spots and establish a regular route. You won't have to buy equipment, but you will have to buy gas.

[Rev. Redmond Farrier]

A gas station is where I got most of my D. tityus last year. So far, only one gas station has panned out for me, but there are a few more that I plan on checking next year that I didn't get around to this year.

[evra]

If you want to run a high powered light, you'll have to have a generator. Batteries are used for 12V DC, 4-40 watt blacklights only, not 175-1000w MV/MH white lights.

Gas stations can be really productive, but usually are not. The ones at the edge of town or out in the middle of nowhere are usually best, but not always. There's an Arctiid named Arachnis zuni, which is considered to be quite rare and desirable in the southwest. I looked for that moth for years, and turned up a couple of odd males last year and this spring, and then this summer when I was getting gas for my generator at a station in the middle of town right after dawn, I look up at the support posts that hold up the roof of the station, and see dozens of A. zuni all over them. It was a sight to behold.

[58chevy]

As Evra says, gas stations are usually hit-and-miss. One weekend there will be lots of bugs and the next weekend, nothing. Or you might find nothing at the first station and lots of bugs at the next one down the road. Brand-new stations (in good locations) are usually most productive soon after they open. They remain fairly productive for a couple of years, then taper off. You have to visit each station several times to determine whether it's worth putting on your "regular" list. Collecting is usually best from midnight to dawn, when things are quiet and there's no traffic.

There are generators available for as little as $200, but I don't know how dependable they are. Hondas are great(and quiet), but expensive.