How to Use a Light Trap to Collect Bugs
A light trap can be used to collect insects like moths which are attracted to lights. It has advantages over other kinds of traps, most notably in its ability to collect bugs without having to be monitored constantly.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Select a location for placing your light trap. It usually works best during the summer months, when nocturnal insects are active, and during periods of high humidity. It will need to be close enough for you to plug in to an existing power source, or else able to run remotely on batteries or fuel.
-
2
Place a piece of cotton or crumpled-up newspaper in the retaining jar of the light trap. This provides the insect with a place to conceal itself in the trap, so that it will believe it is safe and not try to escape. You may wish to add a few additional strips of newspaper as well, depending on the size of the jar.
-
-
3
Put several drops of killing solution on the newspaper or cotton. It should absorb the poison and release vapors into the jar, killing whichever bugs enter it. Be sure you have enough poison for the trap to remain potent and effective throughout the night.
-
4
Set the light trap out at dusk, just when the nighttime insects are beginning to emerge, and turn the light on. Make sure it has power for the next 12 hours or so.
-
5
Return at dawn to collect the trap. There should be a fair number of euthanized bugs in the jar.
-
6
Place the trap in a collecting net before you unscrew the jar. Any insects which survived the poison may fly out, and the net will prevent them from escaping.
-
7
Sort the insects and place them in preservation fluid or a relaxing jar. Discard the ones you don't wish to use or which do not match your purposes.
-
8
Replace the cotton or newspaper with a fresh material each night and use new drops of poison before setting the trap out again.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
If you can, you may want to use a black light rather than regular incandescent light in your light trap. Bugs tend to be more attracted to black light, making them easier to trap.
Check the funnel of your light trap to make sure it can collect larger bugs. It should be wide enough for them to fit through, but not so wide that they can escape again.
