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Post by joniverson on Aug 30, 2019 16:21:14 GMT -8
I just wanted to share the three homemade slotted butterfly bait traps I have been using since July of this year (2019):
For the first one below, I took a pop open hamper...... No more pop up hamper traps as of 9-4-19! The image below now shows my latest and final trap for this year. I kept the baiting bowl with slots and plywood ring base from the pop up, then fashioned a new plywood ring for the top. This trap is fully collapsible, unlike the pop up, and will compress into a very small size. It is 15" W x 48" H. Unlike any of the others, this one uses polyester mosquito netting. Like the one I made with red tulle below, I find such thin netting difficult to work with as it tends to want to warp during application if just a little too much force is applied one way or the other.... prefer the fiberglass screening of the behemoth but I did get the trap made. Full length zipper so bait can be changed out without removing the base. This one uses two styrofoam bowls, but I can change out at any time for one large bowl. The slotted aluminum bowl is much like an angel food cake pan, similar in size. Black stretchable fabric retained for blocking/ unblocking slots as necessary. The aluminum bowl and plywood base do add weight to the assembly, but still not the weight of the behemoth (to read about the behemoth, see below). There is a semi clear plastic bag covering the top and roughly 1/6 of the cylinder length. I may remedy this (shorten the three supporting wires) if I find too much rain getting into the bait.
This second one has been my favorite so far and it has caught the most leps! (not anymore, the behemoth caught more as of 9-4-19). It is the smallest of the three traps at 9" wide and 36" long, but by no means fragile (see update below!). I used tulle and embroidery hoops. Early on, I had trouble with a lot of narrowing toward the center because I didn't get the fabric well enough adjusted within the hoops. Rather than risking further misalignment and narrowing, I added a third embroidery hoop near the center with lines gently pulling the center outward. This seemed to do the trick. The base consists of two one dollar dog bowls inverted. The top bowl is fixed to the wooden base (and again I have the three slots covered up tonight with the stretchable fabric) and the bottom bowl is held up flush to the top bowl by the bottom plywood disc and straps. One of the straps is actually elastic and is removable. Once the elastic is removed, the bottom bowl just slides out. It contains a small styrofoam bowl with bait. Fully collapsible for storage. I added zippers along the sides and top. This one also has three monofilament lines running inside between top and base for extra strength. I can add as much or as little weight as needed to help offset wind, although with the transparency of the tulle, it is far less wind prone than my other units. UPDATE: I should note that, during my changing out of monofilament dock cleats to DIY winders, this one came crashing down at least 10 feet from the base to ground. Other than smashing the top portion of the plastic dog bowl, there was no other damage and the bowl was easily replaced.
Finally, my most recently constructed behemoth! It is the largest of the three at 17" width and 47" length. The cylinder is fiberglass screening and 1/4" plywood frame. A 36" zipper runs down along the one side with zippers in the top as well. I couldn't find the right sized attached base, so I made it out of scrap pressure treated plywood and aluminum flashing, both of which I had lying around. The 17" width base is 9" deep and can easily hold 3 small styrofoam bowls, or I can replace the bowls with just about any plate or single bowl. There is substantial weight with this unit, I'd say on the order of 10 lbs due to the weight of the plywood. I can take a bite out of this weight if I replaced the solid plywood base of the bait container with plastic. I may do that at some point. (Not necessary, I find with the latest monofilament line and my DIY winder, there are no issues with the weight). Like with the above unit, I also use wires inside the netting running between top and base, but four instead of three. However, for the four internal support wires, I went with actual picture frame wire instead of monofilament line for extra strength. The line is soft (multistrand, not solid) so it allows the trap to collapse easily if needed. Again, I have the four top slots covered up with the stretchable fabric. Today was its first test and even though the bait is fairly new and not yet well fermented, I gathered four leps by the end of the day whereas the other two traps had none. One side bonus I hadn't realized until today is that the zipper is long enough that I can reach the bait containers to stir, add water or replace without actually removing the base. It really doesn't matter either way, just a convenience. I was surprised how dark the screening appears to be. If the darkness turns out to be an issue, I can hot glue white screening to the underside of the top if necessary. (Nope, does not appear to be). The behemoth is easily collapsible into less than one foot high. Good thing or I would never be able to store it otherwise! It is also the most weather resistant of the ones I made, although my recently made trap using mosquito netting is quite resistant too.
I have all of the above units strung in different trees on my property. I use 80 lb test monofilament fishing line (which I just changed out from the 50 lb line I had been using) along with weatherproof pulleys (marine grade) to easily move the traps to whatever position needed. I use dock cleats (only for keeping pulleys in place in the trees.... not for the bait traps.... see below for my DIY winder) hammered into the tree trunks to both hold and allow me to wind/ unwind. At the end of the fishing line there are 5 lb weights hanging around the cleats. You can see a dock cleat and weight in the first picture above if you look carefully. So the traps only move either from the wind or moving tree branches. I did replace the dock cleat used for actually moving the traps with a DIY winder, see below.
Enjoy these. I'm no expert, but after building four of these traps now, each using different materials and configurations, I feel I have a slight hand on the ladder of experience now.
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Post by Paul K on Aug 30, 2019 18:17:12 GMT -8
Where in US are you located ?
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Post by joniverson on Aug 30, 2019 18:29:11 GMT -8
Fairly close to Philadelphia, PA
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Post by Paul K on Aug 31, 2019 5:13:26 GMT -8
Fairly close to Philadelphia, PA Are there wild bamboo growing in your area or it just happen in your backyard. |
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Post by joniverson on Aug 31, 2019 6:38:22 GMT -8
[Are there wild bamboo growing in your area or it just happen in your backyard. Good observation! No, that's the neighbor, actually the neighbor before the one who lives there currently. The original neighbor's idea was to make fishing poles from it, but he never did and it grew out of control. Each Spring, I have to cut out or remove plants that have started growing in my yard. Once I have done that, I'm not bothered with it again until the following Spring. The lady who now lives there wants to remove it all. So, the bamboo, in combination with my sugar maple tree where I have the trap hung, completely shades that section of the yard and all that grows there is moss. |
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Post by joniverson on Sept 1, 2019 16:27:34 GMT -8
Today was a good test for all three traps. Temperatures reached what I considered a decent range and it has been very dry. The smaller traps were the first to show activity with roughly 5 leps of differing species each. The behemoth showed activity, but no leps earlier in the day. I was beginning to think that maybe I should have gone back and made the top white. Then, by late afternoon, roughly two hours before sunset, behemoth had a lot of activity with at least 4 leps, a large cicada killer, many horseflies, and three white faced hornets.
One thing with the cooler weather lately is that my bait took about double the time to start fermenting. I know that once I see many fruit flies in and around the bowls, plus the large horseflies hanging around, it is ready.
One thing I did do today, and it took all day, was eliminate two of the dock cleats and incorporate homemade winding mechanisms. I should have done this a long time ago, makes for much easier winding. The spools are approximately 6 and 10 inch diameter. Only one now still uses the dock cleat.
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Sept 2, 2019 4:37:53 GMT -8
I will say one thing young man, you certainly are creative.
Keep the top of your traps dark. When I made my first bait traps, they were the Inverted Funnel Type and "all" screen. Entrapped Leps flew about continually trying to escape the trap. I cut a round plywood disk with a knob that sat on the top of the Cylinder. The Leps would hide under the disk. Later the tops of the traps were made with Rain Cloth material.
I added the skirt/Shroud some years later.
Make your bait in advance. Use gallon Zip-lock bags. I make my bait in Zip lock bags and put it in my refrigerator. The cold temperature will slow down fermentation. And, use lots of liquid in the +bait.
Flies and Vespidea are a problem. I cut a two inch round hole in the top and sew a 3 inch round piece of 1/4" Steel Screen. If you do not collect small Moths, the screen will let the flies and Vespidea out, but not the Catocala moths and butterflies.
However, after I added the Skirt/Shroud, the flies and Vespidea avoided the dark area and the Leps would settle down under the top.
If you wants some really good bait traps, our even some design ideas. Check out Leptraps.com.
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Post by joniverson on Sept 2, 2019 5:00:49 GMT -8
I will say one thing young man, you certainly are creative. Why thank you! Actually, due to a crisis going on in my life right now, if I didn't keep busy, I'm not sure what would happen. So, making and modifying these has been ideal. And almost all of the materials came from scrap and leftover parts from other projects. Yes, I did check out some of your traps before constructing the behemoth. I sure didn't want to mess up that one as, to me at least, it is absolutely huge. In fact, after one of my neighbors saw it hanging in the tree, she thought I was getting ready to launch a rocket. From a distance with the trash bag rain cover in a cone shape and the trap body below with the bright aluminum I guess could easily be perceived as something else. There is also another website discusses the different traps in terms of performance and use.... www.lepidopterabiodiversity.com/SurveyMethods.htm At least one of the traps discussed there I had never seen before, but I took a real close look at the photos of the H type trap before modifying all of mine. I have considered changing out a small portion of the top with a slightly larger mesh, but there are certain wasps I like to collect, so I haven't done it yet. |
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Post by bandrow on Sept 2, 2019 6:25:39 GMT -8
Greetings,
This is off-topic as far as traps go, but your comment about the "rocket" made me laugh! Mostly because I had the same comment made to me some years ago in Florida. I wanted to see what might come to a UV light on the beach in Panama City, but couldn't leave a trap - too public. So I took just the UV bulb and the cross-vanes from a trap and stood it up on a sheet on the dunes. About a half-hour into it, a woman on the 5th floor of the condo where I was staying, yelled down to me - "Is that a rocket?" I just said "nope' and continued on...
Cheers!
Bandrow
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Sept 2, 2019 11:35:35 GMT -8
I fully understand life crisis. If it was not for Lepidoptera, I am not sure what would have become of me. I have found that spreading Moths and Butterflies eases the burdens in my life.
I have struggled with many things this year. However, sitting by the banks of the Cuyahoga River and watching the water flow bye. I relax and find solitude in my life.
If I can be of help, let me know. E-mail me at Leptraps@aol.com.
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Post by joniverson on Sept 2, 2019 15:35:38 GMT -8
Greetings, This is off-topic as far as traps go, but your comment about the "rocket" made me laugh! Mostly because I had the same comment made to me some years ago in Florida. I wanted to see what might come to a UV light on the beach in Panama City, but couldn't leave a trap - too public. So I took just the UV bulb and the cross-vanes from a trap and stood it up on a sheet on the dunes. About a half-hour into it, a woman on the 5th floor of the condo where I was staying, yelled down to me - "Is that a rocket?" I just said "nope' and continued on... Cheers! Bandrow To be honest, I actually laugh at the behemoth. It looks like something from outer space with the aluminum flashing container and slots, etc. I really outdid myself that time. I could put hieroglyphics on it and claim the aliens left it in my yard!
No, actually, behemoth did pretty well today. It picked up two Vespa crabro which I promptly removed from the cylinder. So far no Ichneumon as a pair of those were greeting me in a different cylinder three years ago. Unfortunately, the display jar was knocked off the table and destroyed the two mounted samples.
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Post by joniverson on Sept 2, 2019 17:47:25 GMT -8
I fully understand life crisis. If it was not for Lepidoptera, I am not sure what would have become of me. I have found that spreading Moths and Butterflies eases the burdens in my life. I have struggled with many things this year. However, sitting by the banks of the Cuyahoga River and watching the water flow bye. I relax and find solitude in my life. If I can be of help, let me know. E-mail me at Leptraps@aol.com.
Thanks, Leptraps (really Leroy, isn't it?). Anyway, my hobbies are many. Lep collecting is just one. My first love is amateur astronomy. I have done SWLing (short for shortwave radio listening) at times. I used to build radio and other "kits" from a firm called Heathkit, now long gone. That was back in the days when Radio Shack really meant Radio Shack. Many other hobbies. Such hobbies help keep one's sanity, especially in the world we live in today. Looks like you've done the same. It's always good to have at least one hobby, but there is a surprising number of people today who don't.
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Sept 2, 2019 23:08:52 GMT -8
Number one in my life is my faith. I believe in the Trinity. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. I believe that I am still alive today because of my faith.
My family is tied to my faith. One must have faith to deal with and manage life's problems.
Lepidoptera is a large part of my life, but not all consuming. Although my late wife would strongly disagree with that statement.
I have found that when life's problems bare down on me, I can go the my "Bug" room/office and mount a dozen or so specimens of Lepidoptera, I find my self relaxed and more able to deal with life and life's problems in general.
Another source of relief was sitting on beach and watch the waves of the incoming tide crash ashore. There is just something about the Ocean that touches one heart and soul.
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Post by joniverson on Sept 3, 2019 16:59:03 GMT -8
Today's scrap material leftover from other projects incorporated into a self contained, freely movable string/ monofilament/ rope winder:
The other two winders are hammered to the trees that host the traps, but I decided to try and make an independent one. The concrete base weighs about 30 lbs. All pressure treated wood and the guide "eye" is adjustable. The axle is fixed. To operate means just hand turning the outer wheel in whatever direction the traps need to go, up or down. I tried adding a handle to turn on an earlier one, but just found it simpler to gently turn the outer wheel by hand. To move it around, I just place a small hand truck under it and go.
By the way, the rope on the dock cleat you see in the background seldom needs adjusted. That set up is to keep the marine grade pulleys in place high up in the tree. I find the pulleys necessary as they greatly reduce the stress on the monofilament line used for the traps.
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Post by joniverson on Sept 3, 2019 17:00:14 GMT -8
Number one in my life is my faith. I believe in the Trinity. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. I believe that I am still alive today because of my faith. My family is tied to my faith. One must have faith to deal with and manage life's problems. Lepidoptera is a large part of my life, but not all consuming. Although my late wife would strongly disagree with that statement. I have found that when life's problems bare down on me, I can go the my "Bug" room/office and mount a dozen or so specimens of Lepidoptera, I find my self relaxed and more able to deal with life and life's problems in general. Another source of relief was sitting on beach and watch the waves of the incoming tide crash ashore. There is just something about the Ocean that touches one heart and soul.
Me too! Trinity believer. Church goer, member of the prayer group. Wouldn't be around if not for Him.
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