Moths or any other insects' collection techniques are equity that depends upon many factors hence it should be taken into consideration prior collection task. While collecting moths with the help of a light sheet is very useful and adventurous, but it does not provide the utility simply because it is impractical to remain attentive at a sheet for all hours of the night.

So, I would suggest you to better have collection with CDC light traps.

Regarding that, you could find help from links as follows:

1. Article A New Portable Light Trap for Moth Collection

2. Article A COMPARISON OF TRAPPING TECHNIQUES FOR MYTHIMNA CONVECTA (W...

3. Article Catching insects while recording bats: Impacts of light trap...

Hope it will help you to take your lead in much better way.

Thanks and Cheers

RT

Hello Afaq,

Since you are going to an area where electricity supply would be minimum, try to arrange for a generator and set up a Moth screen. The rechargeable batteries may not be god enough to support a bright bulb which is suitable for moth-watching.

It would be best if you can get a Mercury vapor lamp (150W or above), try to avoid using LED since it doesn't give good results. For the MV lamp you would need a choke and the housing. Same for UV lamp as well. Ideally 12W UV-C bulb is good for moth-watching.

Aarti Rama, sorry, but I do not think that collecting moths from a light sheet is impractical. That method is best to observe moths and then selectively collect what is necessary and I feel that if the sheet is observed hourly, it is not a very difficult task. For collection, killing jars with Chloroform can be used.

Refer to these links for further information on alternative methods of attracting Moths-

I have good experiences with light traps with the help of neon tubes (superactinic and black light). They do not need much power and can be operated with small batteries (12 V, 12 Ah). A mercury vapor lamp or a mixed light bulb needs much more power and thus larger batteries, but the yield is not much higher. New LED light traps use far less power, making them ideal for hard-to-reach, long-haul areas. But I have no own experience with it.

Article Assessing the effi ciency of UV LEDs as light sources for sa...

You should not forget that some moths do not fly the light, but can be lured with bait.

Best wishes

Rudolf Ritt

At our VBC lab at RMRIMS (ICMR), we people are devoted for collecting dipteran sand flies (that are active fliers) from the village and slum areas with uncertain and irregular electricity supply with the help of CDC light traps (equipped with rechargeable batteries) as well as with sticky traps.

And in concerned with Light Sheet Traps, we are just trying to validate its feasibility in case of dipteran insects but unfortunately it's results aren't much promising as compared either with light traps or with sticky traps in our case.

# Rachit Singh, Here, I am not denying the utility of light sheet collection technique, but simply mentioned the dependency of insect collection technique upon many factors, that should be take into consideration while moving for the task of insect collection. It's result aren't much supportive in our case but hopefully could insight positive result in other insects might be in case if Moths too (but which type of moths?, again dependable factor.....really needed to be sorted out prior collection task. Rest of the suggestion are nice, and I do comply with that.

#Afaq, That's why I had mentioned in my previous comment that "collection techniques are equity that depends upon many factors" (in which nature of insect viz., active fliers, crawling, heavy or light bodied etc., etc. serve as the dependable factor) and hence should be taken into consideration prior collection task.

#Rudolf Ritt, recommendable comments....!!!

Thanks and Cheers

RT