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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2015 5:10:12 GMT -8
One lonely damaged catocala braved the storms last night to get in the trap.
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Jul 9, 2015 2:12:15 GMT -8
Here is a short summary of my bait traps. Since I last reported, the area were my bait traps are deployed has received 6.79 inches of rain as an average. One location in Meade County, Ky has received 8.2 inches of rain. That is a tad bit of water.
Of the 11 baits I have out in Perry County, IN, I could only access two of them. A road is washed out and small rocky creek I usually step over is raging torrent. The two that I did access were completely empty. Only a few flies and several bad ass hornets.
I drove through a virtual deluge on my way to Meade County, Ky. I could of swore I saw Noah's Ark float by. I could access all but one trap. About a dozen water logged Catocala moths and lots of wet angry hornets.
I stopped at a Waffle House restaurant near Shelbyville, KY for some lunch and to change into dry clothes. While I sat there watching rain, and it was really putting it down, I decided to go home.
It was a good decision. I arrived home, took a hot shower, Momma made Chicken and Dumplins, Corn bread and Soup Beans, and after consuming that I took a nice nap and now that I have made my report, I am going to mount some moths that I collected at Kill Pecker Dunes in Wyoming in 2013.
The soup beans are starting to work.
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Post by rayrard on Jul 9, 2015 20:11:37 GMT -8
Went out for a day survey tapping trees in the local park.
Knocked up at least 15 C. ilia and 1 C. palaeogama. No smalls yet.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2015 5:24:04 GMT -8
Even though I have had torrential rains every day for the past week three brave catocala donned their scuba gear and came to my trap last night
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Jul 10, 2015 7:21:43 GMT -8
I cut up over 80 apples,40 bananas,30 peaches and 30 nectarines. I used 5 pounds of sugar and set out this morning to check my traps. I am currently in Corydon, IN Having a late breakfast at a Waffle House. (After a double helping of soup beans yesterday, both my wife and the cats are glade I am gone).
I was able to get to all of my traps in Perry County, IN. I did better than expected. I collected 18 small Catocala moths and had lots of Catocala ilia. I collected my first large black hindwinged Catocala and 2 small ones.
I also collected 2 Darapsa versacolor.
I replaced all the bait. I dumped the old water logged bait along the road. As I returned back up the road after checking my last trap, I found numerous Limenitis astyanax on the old bait.
However, the Pheromone Traps were loaded. I might well have over a dozen species.
I will be off to Meade County shortly.
The soup beans are still working.
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Post by rayrard on Jul 10, 2015 8:22:55 GMT -8
One of my grail species is D. versicolor. I've seen lots of the other two species but never the great versicolor
It will get up to 86 on Saturday and 90 on Sunday so there might be another tapping attempt this weekend.
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Post by jshuey on Jul 10, 2015 9:27:23 GMT -8
Even though I have had torrential rains every day for the past week three brave catocala donned their scuba gear and came to my trap last night If you can keep the rain out of your bait – traps work very well in warm rainy weather. And it’s easy to keep the rain out. Just cut a round, acetate “cap” for the top of your trap and Velcro it into place. That will force the rain down the edge netting of the trap, and away from your bait (unless somehow you have a flat bottom to your trap that can guide it right back in. That’s one of the accidental beauties of the “bug dorm” traps – the small bowl is suspended in such a way that you can easily keep the bait dry during torrential tropical downpours. John
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2015 9:48:04 GMT -8
The leptraps brand trap I have is very water resistant. The bait doesn't get "watered down" much in even the hard rain storms due to the material the top is made of. It's a flat bottom duralife. The biggest problem I've had is the hurricane force winds of these storms that occur on a daily basis blows the trap around and spills the bait but, that's not a design problem with the trap. It's just going to happen in strong wind.
Joe
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Jul 10, 2015 15:48:48 GMT -8
I departed the Waffle House Restaurant in Corydon, IN and by the time I crossed the Ohio River, I encountered a massive thunder storm. It was raining harder than a double kunted cow pissin on flat rock.By the time I arrived in Meade County, KY, a large tree toppled across the road where my first Bait Trap was located.
I turned around and headed for home. The rain continued as drove, then those soup beans went to work. I was so bad, I stopped at a McDonald's and sat out the rain.
I returned home about 2PM. I consumed more soup beans, tomorrow I am going to a butterfly county. I hope that lots of watchers show up.
The next break in the weather is Monday.
The material I use on the top of my Flat Bottom Bait Traps is a rubberized cloth mayerial. Water proof and not susceptible to hornet chewing nor mice jaws. However, I used a HDPE plastic for a cap. Worked well until the ruberized material came along
I do not keep many butterflies from my bait traps in my area. I always look at them. You never know when you will collect a striking aberration.
Soup beans are starting to work....
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Post by rayrard on Jul 12, 2015 8:56:09 GMT -8
Went out with a light last night and just like last year, no Catocala until after 12:30am when they started to trickle in regularly. I only stayed til 1:30 but had:
1 C. antinympha (only one before 12:30) 5 C. micronympha 1 C. amica
A pretty good sheet with lots of Zanclognatha, Hypoprepia, Gypsy males, and a burst of Notodontids late. Also 4 Lapara sp. and 2 Paonias excaecatus. Malacosoma ending thank God.
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Post by bugboys3 on Jul 16, 2015 8:47:32 GMT -8
I also recently purchased a Leptrap bait trap. Since July 3rd I have only had it up and operating for about 5 nights. The results have been pretty good. I have collected so far several Poylgonia comma, 2 Amphion floridensis, 3 Darapsa myron, 3 C. ilia, 1 C. micronympha, 1 C. coccinata (a new species for me), and 1 unidentified Catacola ( I will post the picture next week).
I am in Southern Wisconsin. I am taking the trap and my light setup to northwestern Wisconsin this weekend.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2015 10:15:26 GMT -8
Prepare for a sudden and massive increase in specimen payload.
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Post by bugboys3 on Jul 16, 2015 12:50:34 GMT -8
What I initially thought may be C. micronympha turns out to be C. mira, another new species for me.
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Post by myotis on Jul 20, 2015 4:27:07 GMT -8
The past couple mornings my Leptrap has been full of cotacala. This morning it has a cotacala relicta (in addition to all the others). I have never seen one of those before. I do not maintain a collection, but enjoy photographing them. I thought I might try and rear them. Is there a good way to try and get ova from them?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2015 5:31:55 GMT -8
Just got back from my trip to MS and LA. Had a great time tapping for cats in the 98 degree heat getting some C. carissima and C. atocala along with C. maestosa and C. amatrix. The heat index for that afternoon was 109 degrees......and I was totally soaked. Now I'm hoping to see if Illinois has got started with these guys. Our weather has been weird thus far.
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