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Post by tv on Feb 3, 2022 19:56:11 GMT -8
I was reading through a discussion on MV lighting and some talk came up about the actual light sheet setup someone was using. As someone who has made a number of...shall we say different, light sheet designs, I was really interested to start a thread that could serve as a point to collect the different designs that people have come up with. So, feel free to post images and descriptions of your setups. I'd also be interested to hear what's been working and what could be improved.
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Post by tv on Feb 3, 2022 20:36:08 GMT -8
Okay, I'll go first. Here is my current "permanent" setup at home. We're mostly in the woods, so I cleared all the brush off the most open area on the place (over the septic lines) to put up a light sheet setup.
I had cut off a small tree and I put it in the ground at an angle with some concrete around the base and a second piece of the tree buried and lag bolted to form a stable X structure. I mounted a 100W self-ballasted MV bulb on the top of the post and then hung a wire down to suspend the remaining lights and sheets. I then fastened a couple pieces of outdoor carpet on the ground to provide a lower surface that's easy to scan for insects.
This first image shows the area and the setup stored for rainy weather with a set of contractor bags serving as a cover
Bags off and bundled up using a bungee cord. I picked the self-ballasted MV bulb because I wanted to be able to leave it in place for most of the year and didn't want to have to worry about leaving a ballast enclosure out in the elements as well.
Unfurled. Here you can see that I used tulle for my sheets instead of fabric. There were a couple reasons for this. First, the open mesh has way less wind resistance so I can leave it up on windy days and never worry about damage. Second, I can see through it so I'm able to see things resting on the opposite side or other panels. Finally, the stuff is dirt cheap (120ft/40m for $17) so I can use it for a season and pitch it if it gets too dirty. The cross bars are collapsible tent poles (2 x 20 ft poles that were split in half so about 5 ft on each side and 10 ft across for the whole thing). I attach the tulle using document binder clips.
Closeup of the poles/tulle/clips/ground clip. The whole thing is fastened to the ground as well to make sure it doesn't swing and bust the 48" fluorescent bulbs.
All lit up - but at the end of October, when there really wasn't much left around to catch. I have two, 48" two-bulb fixtures mounted back to back with alternating styles of 40W black light / UV bulbs. I turn it on most nights from March-October except for rainy/stormy nights or if I have to wake up earlier than usual. When it's time for winter I take out the MV bulb and whole hanging piece is bundled up and stored in the basement out of the weather. All told I've been pretty happy with the turn out, considering there's a lot of trees around and not much open space.
I should also point out that this is within sight of the main road into our neighborhood. As a result lots of folks drive by really slow at night and I've gotten numerous questions about "what's that ghost-looking thing you have in your woods?". I've also been asked if it's some sort of owl or bat house/trap. Needless to say when I tell them it's for insects they still seem a little mystified, but generally okay with it.
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Post by trehopr1 on Feb 3, 2022 21:51:00 GMT -8
This could be a really good thread.
I think the painstaking ingenuity and innovative forethought put into these light setups is AMAZING and yet humbling at the same time.
The "draw" that you must get from the nearby woods has to be phenomenal; unless of course you put it out during a dry spell or a full moon night.
I have (what is probably) the most basic of light setups whereby I have a 175 Watt MVL bulb sitting on top of a camera tripod. I really only want moths which is why I don't make use of a blacklight as well.
It has its effective nights but, it's hardly a 400 watt bulb or the old fashioned 1,000 & 1500 Watt bulbs which were (once used) around monuments and even roadside signs.
Nifty setups like these must "Hoover" the nearby woods on a good night !
I really admire your ingenuity and thank you for sharing your ideas/thoughts with us...
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Post by exoticimports on Feb 4, 2022 5:34:04 GMT -8
Interesting setup.
I have taken no photos of my setup, since it's rather common. I have two lights:
175W MV with a white sheet. As I've written before, my yard looks like TVs, and the MV floods the area with light, which I believe to be a bad thing. I've seen moths, particularly sphingids, come into the light zone and fly right out, I think because there is WAY too much light from every direction. I wonder if using a mesh like TV would reduce the glare.
The second is a standard 18W BLB kill bucket. This catches some different species, and retains those that tend to fly late (e.g., 2AM and later) and then leave. Despite a good dose of rubbing alcohol in the bottom, fragile specimens tend to get beat up.
I used to have a dual 36" BLB, which was the happy medium. It broke, and I didn't replace it. It too tended to draw/ retain a slightly different collection of species.
In SE Asia the locals use a different setup to catch grasshoppers. They use a standard bright bulb behind a sheet of clear plastic, in front of which is a pool of water. The grasshoppers come to the light and land in the pool. I suppose they only have a 50% catch rate, because those that approach from the bulb side don't land in the water. But it's inexpensive, and apparently effective enough.
Chuck
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Post by mothman55 on Feb 4, 2022 7:30:55 GMT -8
My setup, very basic. A 175 watt self ballasted MV on a stand over a sheet and groundsheets. Set in a empty lot next to the cottage with woods all around. Has been pretty effective over the years.
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Post by trehopr1 on Feb 4, 2022 9:27:30 GMT -8
Wow, mothman55 that's pretty much the same basic setup that I use...
However, unlike you I lack a rural and or wooded setting to place it in because I live in an urban situation. Therefore, my "draw" of the local fauna is only sporadically decent; in that I will pick up a few varied species of catocala (on a good night).
As it has been said location, location, location....
Good heavens, if I could collect that many Luna moths in one place I'd probably have four drawers full of the finest "cherry-picked" (wild caught) specimens that one could blink at !
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Post by kevinkk on Feb 4, 2022 10:16:44 GMT -8
I use a completely portable setup with UV only, and use a sheet spread with some lathe, and just bought a circular stand up combination light hanger and screen cylinder from Bioquip, I'll get a chance to use it this season. The UV light(s) run off batteries, so it's nice and easy, if you're only out one or two nights. No way can I leave a setup of any kind without being there to watch for "humaniods" which tend to have very sticky fingers, I've lost too much equipment and other gear. Location, location, location-
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Post by exoticimports on Feb 4, 2022 10:30:25 GMT -8
Mothman, it looks like your bulb is higher than the top of the sheet. Hmm. Mine is typically centered on the sheet.
Chuck
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Post by vabrou on Feb 4, 2022 14:46:14 GMT -8
Regarding using a sheet to collect and placement of lamps. I have operated a series of self-designed, automatic capture insect traps for the past 53 years, personally logging over 45,000,000 trap hours. My trap inventory fluctuates between 450-500 units. Before I address the placement of lamps, let me state the last time I collected insects using a sheet was the year 1968. What most persons don't realize is that about 20% of the insects coming to your sheet are NEVER seen by the collector. I know the facts because I did the research. Here in Louisiana, we have never turned off our light traps since turning them on in 1969 (53 years). Though we collect throughout the state of Louisiana, 99% of the captures occurred at the Abita Entomological Study Site (AESS) is recognized and considered by entomologists worldwide as the most intensely studied entomological location in North America (USA, Canada, and Mexico). This 10 acre location is the home of Vernon Antoine Brou Jr. & Charlotte D. Brou. We have discovered over 400 species of just moths new to science in Louisiana. I am not a degreed entomologist, though I do have non-related degrees in Quality Engineering and Nursing. I had a small sideline business of designing and selling custom-made light traps and associated collection chambers back in the 80's-90's. These traps worked extremely well and when used with a collection chamber, utilized Cyanide as a killing agent. Comments about better placing a mercury vapor lamp centered against a sheet is 100% wrong. Doing so reduces the amount of insects coming to the light by 75%. If you must use a sheet, proper placement of the high-wattage lamps is just above the upper edge of the sheet. Also avoid the use of a rain covering over any of the lamp/bulbs, as that also reduces the amount of responding insects.
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Post by vabrou on Feb 4, 2022 14:54:15 GMT -8
More.
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Post by vabrou on Feb 4, 2022 15:01:29 GMT -8
Still more.
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Post by vabrou on Feb 4, 2022 15:04:45 GMT -8
More again.
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Post by vabrou on Feb 4, 2022 15:18:59 GMT -8
Typical Collection Chamber. This one a three-drawer unit with size-separating screen.
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Post by vabrou on Feb 4, 2022 15:28:17 GMT -8
drawer 1 of 4, automatic collection chamber.
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Post by tv on Feb 4, 2022 18:17:24 GMT -8
Wow Vernon, that last picture with all the silk moths is just crazy.
I've actually been reading through the article you made that has all the pictures of different designs for traps. That was actually part of the reason I started this discussion, just seeing all the variation that you and your wife had come up with for the lighting arrangements. That's a very cool resource and then it's cool to see what you're actually catching.
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