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Post by rayrard on Feb 7, 2012 20:09:00 GMT -8
I have yet to face off with the bear or other dangerous mammal, but I did find a E. Diamondback Rattlesnake in a patch of asters I was collecting around. I've also stood in more fire ant nests than I can remember. The damn things tend to synch their stings at the same time, and they usually hit when the thing you are stalking is the rarest
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Post by rayrard on Feb 6, 2012 22:48:49 GMT -8
What were those people running on their traps? I mean an errant touch should deliver a good shock but I'd think you'd have to drop the battery into a puddle you were walking through to be killed by it. I was thinking about that the other day when I was checking my new BL trap and there was a moth sitting on one of the alligator clips. I was trying to get the moth on my fingers when I realized how close I was to the terminal!
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Post by rayrard on Feb 3, 2012 22:59:32 GMT -8
Depends how gas prices are. NC mtns, PA, and WV hopefully.
As of right now, I have a new BL bucket trap and a totally unsampled SC night fauna. My test runs have already got me Phigalia denticulata/strigataria, 3 Metaxaglaea spp., Feltia subterranea, Orthosia hibisci, Morrisonia mucens, Condica sutor, Phyllodesma occidentis, 2 Spodoptera spp., 2 Lithophane spp. and some various other micros and smalls.
Can't wait what actual spring and summer bring if winter is this good. It helps that this winter has been very warm.
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Post by rayrard on Jan 17, 2012 22:49:29 GMT -8
wow, but how many Colias did you have to net to find those?
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Post by rayrard on Jan 17, 2012 22:46:33 GMT -8
In 1989 I collected a melanic female in Poverty Hollow, Montgomery County, Virginia. It is the top specimen in the photograph. I collected 11 aberrant butterflies in Virginia. I can post some photographs if anyone is interested? yeah! I'd love to collect ONE abberrant. i have a few leps with reduced pattern, but nothing I'd call an aberrant. Except a pink male Io Moth... but that could have been heat shock to the pupae as I kept in indoors.
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Post by rayrard on Jan 4, 2012 20:09:01 GMT -8
a generator would be great, especially at SE AZ or S. Texas or something where I was running serious wattage.
I think for a BL a battery would work better. Especially since I could hook up a trap when I'm in a hurry and get in the the morning, or hook it up to a BL on a sheet if I'm looking to sample an area more intensively or take big stuff. Best of both worlds and I'm sure to get more stuff than I'm used to at the porch light no matter what.
Thanks for the pointers!
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Post by rayrard on Jan 4, 2012 16:47:09 GMT -8
Again, it really depends on what you're looking for. For large Saturniids and Sphingids, running a MV on a generator is the way to go. If you're into small Noctuids/Geos/micros, UV only is in many ways superior. As far as the battery goes, the math is theoretically pretty simple. A 15 watt UV bulb should draw 1.25 amps on 12V DC (15/12 = 1.25). If you use it for 10 hours in a night, this comes out to 12.5 amp hrs. As I said, I think pretty much any car battery should be more than enough, and most motorcycle/lawnmower batteries which are significantly smaller and lighter than a car battery should work for at least 1 full night. If you want to hike it out to a remote location, a full-size car battery would be a lot heavier and more awkward. You might want to ask someone at an auto parts store to recommend one that can handle being exposed to weather and one that can be recharged frequently though. thanks alot... that was a good explanation
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Post by rayrard on Jan 4, 2012 16:24:55 GMT -8
A sheet does not require a generator or an MV. I use a 12V Everstart Maxx-29 Battery (875 cranking amps, 125 Amp hours). I clamp on a 750W Black and Decker Inverter. I can run three blacklight tubes (20W each) about 7 hours. With only one bulb on, I suppose you could blacklight 2-3 nights. This setup can run an MV for a few hours. I prefer not to use an MV. It's hard to see micro moths that sit near the bulb, and larger moths can be 20' away in the grass. James that's the question I still am stuck on: the battery type. The ones in my original post are cheaper but seem weak compared to the 875 amp, 125 AH thing you have. The 12V part is clear, but what difference does the rest make besides the number of bulbs? I am ignorant of batteries, so forgive the stupid question. Is a 1 or 2 amp wheelchair battery gonna run a 15W BL despite the 12V spec? How much did your battery and inverter setup run, if you don't mind?
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Post by rayrard on Jan 4, 2012 14:40:16 GMT -8
Since your question has mostly been answered, I will just throw out a couple comments. As mentioned already, bucket traps make sense mostly in locations that are off-limits at night. Such areas like right-of-ways are usually too conspicuous in my experience and I do not dare leave any valuable equipment. Yes, I have had light traps vandalized (thrown down a hill!) in the most unlikely locations. Usually if I have access to an area during the day, it is not an issue to set up a sheet at night. My sheet setup always rivals my bucket trap (not even close), and consequently I rarely use a bucket trap anymore. It just wasn't practical in my part of the US. James I think the biggest thing in favor of a bucket is the fact you can leave it overnight and don't have to stay with it through the weather and mosquitoes. I am not doubting that you will catch more with a sheet because the bucket only collects what tend to fall into the trap. I am more looking for a cost-effective way of collecting at night that doesn't involve trips to gas stations 15 miles away that are busts more often than not, or porch light sampling which is mostly common yard stuff. To do an effective sheet, you'd need a generator and a BL/MV bulb. This seems a lot more cash than a bucket setup. I've talked to other collectors and they've found that vandalism is rare unless you put the trap near habitation or on the side of the road in plain view. Certainly glowing neon buckets are going to get attention but are people really going to destroy them? I'd see kids doing it but not adults. Thanks for the answers but I'm still unsure on the battery. Will a 1 Amp 12V12AH work for a night on a 15 watt BL or I need something different. 12V is required but are the amps and amp-hours important too?
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Post by rayrard on Jan 3, 2012 19:02:11 GMT -8
Thanks evra.
By "full blown light trap" do you mean a sheet MV setup or a larger bucket?
I have seen littler 3.5 gallon traps and 5 gallon traps but I guess it's the bucket opening that's more of a concern than the volume (there's not that many moths). The 3.5's have almost a big a mouth but are a little lighter to carry. The funnel opening seems tiny for Saturniids and Sphinxes and they really have to climb into the hole to get trapped. The little moths just fall in once they hit the baffles I guess.
As for rain, I can try to avoid rainy nights for trapping or fashion a rain drain myself. Beetles, couldn't one use some acetate in the trap to kill anything that gets trapped, or does the acetate wear off easily in a trap? I could see June bugs getting out of control. Are egg crates useful at preventing beetle damage to specimens?
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Post by rayrard on Jan 3, 2012 17:24:58 GMT -8
Happy new year everyone! I'm looking to get more into night collecting this coming year but money is kind of an issue. I don't really want to spend 200+ dollars on the Bioquip bucket trap setup and I was wondering if anyone had cost-saving ideas on making your own bucket trap. It seems like the battery and charger are the most expensive part, but the Bioquip one is nearly 150 bucks. I've seen batteries on other sites that seem cheaper but I don't know if they are the proper equipment for a 15 watt blacklight. www.chromebattery.com/sealed-lead-acid-batteries.htmlscroll a little ways down and there are 1Amp 12V 12AH batteries for only $42, but is this too little for a blacklight trap? Are the Bioquip batteries any different. It seems like their specs are 12V 14AH, but no amps are given on Bioquip's page. I mean it seems a bit of a difference between $42 and $150, and I'm unsure if these little scooter/Hoverround batteries are as good as a car battery. Are there any good options for battery/charger combos that are respectively priced? As for the other components, I think I'll just buy the DC 15 watt light off Bioquip and try and build my own bucket and funnel. Are there any ideal ways to make the funnel opening and will Lowes/Home Depot funnels fit in a 5 gallon bucket? What do you make the baffles from? Thanks for any help, I've only done moths at a plug-in blacklight on the porch. I'd like to sample some decent habitats.
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Post by rayrard on Dec 20, 2011 13:16:29 GMT -8
one more and my hijacking is done Attachments:
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Post by rayrard on Dec 20, 2011 13:15:35 GMT -8
anyone know what this is? Attachments:
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Post by rayrard on Dec 20, 2011 13:15:01 GMT -8
Here's one of mine Attachments:
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Post by rayrard on Dec 20, 2011 13:12:06 GMT -8
edit
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