Whilst custom-built moth-traps offer the easiest method of recording moths, you do not need to own specialist equipment to take part. Using several of the techniques listed opposite will help diversify your species list.

Sugaring

You will need...
454g Tin of Black Treacle
1Kg Brown Sugar, (the darker the better)
500ml Brown Ale (for the moths not you!)
Paint brush

Slowly heat the ale in a large pan and simmer for five minutes. Stir in and dissolve the sugar, followed by the treacle and then simmer for two minutes. Allow to cool before decanting into a container. Fizzy drinks like Cola or Irn Bru may be used in place of the ale. A drop of rum stirred in just before use is recommended but not essential. Paint the mixture at eye level onto 10-20 tree trunks or fence posts just before dusk and check for moths by torch-light for the first two hours of darkness. You should make sure you have the owners permission for this activity.

Wine Ropes

You will need...
Bottle of cheap red wine (definitely not for you!)
1Kg sugar
1m lengths of thick cord, light rope made from absorbent material. Strips of fabric or muslin can also be used.

Heat the wine and stir in and dissolve the sugar. Allow to cool and soak the lengths of rope. Drape the “wine ropes” over low branches, bushes or fences just before dusk and check for moths by torch-light for the first two hours of darkness.

Ivy Blossom

Ivy blossom offers a useful source of nectar for hungry moths. A dusk visit with a torch may reveal a surprising number of species.

Looking at any flowering plants may produce feeding moths. The spectacular Convolvulus Hawk-moth is particularly attracted to the flowers of Tobacco Plant (Nicotiana) at dusk, where it hovers in front of the flower and uses its 14cm proboscis like a straw to drink the nectar.

Light

It is well known that moths are attracted to lights at night. Specialist moth-traps may be purchased from entomological equipment suppliers, such as those listed in the links section of this site. These use particular types of light to attract moths into a container filled with egg-boxes in which they can rest, unharmed, until the time of release. To find out how to build your own trap visit Atropos and click the garden moths link. You can still record a variety of species at light without a moth-trap by leaving outside and porch lights on after dark. Check lighted windows and lit walls and fences for moths during first two hours of darkness and again in the morning. You can make lit surfaces more attractive by draping a white sheet over them.