Moth Trapping
Moth trapping at Abbey Fields
During summer 2022 we ran moth traps at Croft Close Nature Reserve on a suitable calm warm night each month from May to August.
On each occasion we had two traps, both located in the northern half of the site among the grass and low scrub.
On our best night, in June, we trapped 160 species; July’s 133 was not far behind and much more than our poorest night in May when 26 were trapped. This low number possibly indicates the moth flying season was only just starting then.
Overall, we recorded 277 species across the four nights of trapping.
Some of the moths we have trapped have not often been recorded in the Cambridgeshire “Vice county”. (This vice county is the “old” Cambridgeshire – so excludes the areas that formerly were in Huntingdonshire.) Five moths recorded are either Nationally Scarce or considered likely to appear in the Red Data Book.
The full list of the moths recorded in 2022 and 2023 at Croft Close Set-aside is here.
A photo of the scarcest moth recorded at Abbey Fields in May is now on the Cambs Moths Website. A gallery of some of the other moths trapped at the Set-aside is here.
Our equipment
Specialist equipment has been developed for the safe and efficient trapping of moths. The key part is a light which emits a high proportion of the UV radiation which is attractive to moths.
Because this UV has the potential to damage our eyes, those working with moth traps use special safety spectacles which filter out the UV component.
To learn more about moth trapping, see this nhbs blog .
If you want to know more
The Cambs Moths website has a wealth of information, including many photos. There is a page showing moths active by day or easily disturbed from their daytime resting places.
Butterfly Conservation is another source of useful information as are the Wildlife Trusts.
Do you have any records?
We have no historical records of the moths at either Croft Close Set-aside or Long Meadow prior to 2022. Should anyone have records, please contact sitemangers@abbeyfields.online .
We would also welcome additional records from 2022 onwards. Please share any information you have as this will feed into how we manage both Croft Close Set-aside and Long Meadow.
You can also add your records from both Abbey Fields and elsewhere to the County Database through the Cambs Moths website to help produce distribution maps and abundance data.