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Post by vabrou on Feb 23, 2022 7:15:34 GMT -8
I earlier mentioned 'fiddler crabs' Here is a close-up I took of one that very same night. Actually there were untold thousands surrounding us at the light trap coming from (360 degrees). I titled this photo as 'you looking at me?'
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Post by kevinkk on Feb 23, 2022 9:41:45 GMT -8
That's all pretty amazing, a lot of us know frogs and toads will come visit our lighting, I see bats taking advantage as well, but I didn't know crabs were attracted to lights.
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Post by mothman27 on Feb 23, 2022 18:22:16 GMT -8
Here's my typical setup. My setting is rural but mostly agricultural. The top two are 250w MV bulbs and then on the ground is a fixture holding two white blacklight tubes (facing the woods side of the property). Sometimes I add an additional light on the side. Easy to setup and takedown when inclement weather comes around. (not all photos from the same night)
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Post by mothman27 on Feb 23, 2022 18:29:55 GMT -8
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Post by mothman27 on Feb 23, 2022 18:30:19 GMT -8
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Post by eleodes on Mar 4, 2022 17:54:40 GMT -8
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Post by tv on Mar 10, 2022 11:40:24 GMT -8
Here's my typical setup. My setting is rural but mostly agricultural. The top two are 250w MV bulbs and then on the ground is a fixture holding two white blacklight tubes (facing the woods side of the property). Sometimes I add an additional light on the side. Easy to setup and takedown when inclement weather comes around. (not all photos from the same night) That looks like a pretty solid setup. I was wondering a couple things. First, what are you using for uprights to hold the sheet? That's always been a hassle for me being in the midwest. The wind blows pretty much all the time and it takes some pretty sturdy stands to keep sheets from blowing over. The other thing I was going to ask about was your MV lights, are they frosted? I had always heard that the frosted were less effective, but if you're using them with success in IL then I should probably be able do the same in MO.
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Post by tv on Mar 10, 2022 11:45:04 GMT -8
That's an interesting take, and one that I can definitely appreciate having grown up in Kansas. We were driving there last week and had 30 mile/hr winds at midnight. Just ridiculous to try and keep a setup upright.
Has anyone seen this approach or something different for high wind areas?
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evra
Full Member
Posts: 230
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Post by evra on Mar 10, 2022 18:54:14 GMT -8
Wind is the single worst weather condition for lighting. Worse than either cold or pouring down rain. The key is to try to let as much wind through your sheet as possible. So sheets with holes in it or white screen mesh is the best.
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Post by mothman27 on Mar 15, 2022 8:51:55 GMT -8
Here's my typical setup. My setting is rural but mostly agricultural. The top two are 250w MV bulbs and then on the ground is a fixture holding two white blacklight tubes (facing the woods side of the property). Sometimes I add an additional light on the side. Easy to setup and takedown when inclement weather comes around. (not all photos from the same night) That looks like a pretty solid setup. I was wondering a couple things. First, what are you using for uprights to hold the sheet? That's always been a hassle for me being in the midwest. The wind blows pretty much all the time and it takes some pretty sturdy stands to keep sheets from blowing over. The other thing I was going to ask about was your MV lights, are they frosted? I had always heard that the frosted were less effective, but if you're using them with success in IL then I should probably be able do the same in MO. Since this setup is typically not moved often (it is in my backyard), I use stakes hammered into the ground and a sheet between them. It's not too cumbersome to move when I have to and doesn't blow over. The sheet can be removed and the staked mowed around. I have used several types of bulbs: MV (frosted & clear), Fluorescent, Blacklight tubes (blue and white). With little searching you can find people saying frosted MV are useless and others saying there is really no difference. I don't know what is true but from my experience there is not a drastic difference. I see a much bigger difference when upping the wattage. I used to use 160w type MV (clear and frosted). When I started using 250w frosted I started getting higher volumes of insects. This is what I still use. If I had to choose between the clear and frosted I would choose clear because some people do say the frosted coating filters BL out (unsure of research supporting this). However, given the difficulty of securing self-ballasted MV lights already, I try to get what is most affordable when I can. I will say, I have only ever used self-ballasted bulbs. I should also add, my primary target group is moths. The beetles often tend to end up on the "darker" side of the sheet by the blacklight tubes. Hopefully that answers your questions. Thanks! P.S. despite the specimen in my profile pic being from Illinois, I actually live in Indiana. Although, the terrain is for the most part comparable.
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Post by vabrou on Mar 27, 2022 7:17:56 GMT -8
Mississippi light trappers March 3, 2022 lifetime Lepidoptera collectors visiting the Abita Entomological Study Site (Key word RICK). Rick Kergosien (left) and Ricky Patterson (Right). Both are from neighboring state of Mississippi, USA. Over the past 4 decades, I have light trapped with both of these lepidopterists numerous times in the state of Louisiana. In fact, Ricky Patterson and I have spent many nights light trapping in National Forest Areas and Wildlife Mgt Areas in Louisiana. Vernon A. Brou Jr. behind camera.
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Post by vabrou on Mar 27, 2022 7:25:05 GMT -8
2022 light trap at the AESS. March 4, 2022 Rick Kergosien looking through 400 watt mercury vapor light trap collection chamber at the Abita Entomological Study Site, near Abita Springs, Louisiana, USA.
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Post by 58chevy on Mar 27, 2022 18:00:34 GMT -8
I use a 400W MV in combination with three 48" Quantum blacklight bulbs (UV). My rig is set up like 3 door frames hinged together. It fits perfectly in the bed of my pickup truck. The frame supports itself, no hammering required. I just pull it out and drop it on the ground. The sheets are hung from the top of the frame and fastened at the bottom by small, flexible bungee cords. No sheet slits are necessary. If the wind gets too strong, the bottom bungee cords can be easily disconnected so they flop around in the wind. I also have a nail-driven tie-down attached to each door frame but so far haven't needed to use them. I had great success with this setup in Arizona in 2019.
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