Attempt 1:
"Black-Light + Water-Tray" Trap
Materials:
X2 - 54" Dog Crate Trays - https://www.amazon.c...D/dp/B000HCN6RK
X1 - Waterproof Black Light LED Strip - https://www.amazon.c...r/dp/B077VZCR3D
X1 - 12 Volt Power Supply - https://www.amazon.c...23097988&sr=8-5
X1 - 1.5" Diameter PVC Pipe (or something similar)
X2 - Endcaps for the PVC Pipe
X2 - (OPTIONAL) White Flex Seal Spray Cans - https://www.amazon.c...2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
X1 - (OPTIONAL) Battery Pack
And finally, you'll need some water
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To start off, you will need to collect your materials from the list above. We are going to prepare the black light first.
As you can see, it looks very homemade
, but the most important part is that it is 100% waterproof, as we don't want to short any circuits or electrocute ourselves if this thing accidentally falls into the water. The LED strip on the material list is a specially made black light strip surrounded by a waterproof barrier, which we can then wrap around the PVC pipe or anything similar to create our very own (and very bright, might I add) black light. The end caps on the PVC tubing are just there to ensure no bugs crawl inside of the black light. In the picture above, you will also notice a 12 Volt power supply to the right to the black light, and is necessary because the led strip comes with wire ends, not a wall outlet plug. I also decided to take some black electrical tape to the open wires in generous amounts to ensure they were waterproof as well. Now that you have the black light, we need something to do the "catching" for us.That's where the dog crate trays come in. Each tray will sit on either side of the black light, with the light itself resting on where the two edges meet.
The ground wasn't level here, but the water should be evenly spread out among each tray. You can also see the battery pack in a plastic bag sitting behind the trap, and it will be useful for when I take it to different locations. At home, however, a regular wall outlet will work fine.
Next, because black doesn't reflect very much light, I decided to paint the bottoms of the trays white with flex seal.
Flex seal is one of the few things I can think of to withstand being underwater, so I went for it. It's not a great paint job, but it will get the job done
. It will also hopefully help keep these plastic trays intact for longer.Here is the finished product (without water in it):
I have used twice so far when the trays hadn't been "flex sealed" yet, and the results were quite impressive. Lots of bugs flew into the water, as well as lots of male alates. No queens yet, but hopefully I will catch some when their night flying begins around here in a few weeks.
Edited by CatsnAnts, June 7 2021 - 5:29 PM.
