Butterfly Conservation receives £10 from the sale of this trap to help them continue their fantastic conservation work.
The NHBS Moth Trap is a lightweight and highly portable trap, tested and approved by Butterfly Conservation.
The trap container is constructed from lightweight plastic panels covered with a light-coloured nylon material and it is easily assembled using velcro. It has two panels that help prevent moths escaping and the trap electrics are supported by a stainless steel frame that is attached to the container walls. This mains powered trap runs a single 20W blacklight bulb (included with the trap) and comes supplied with a 4.5m power lead wired to a standard UK plug. A benefit of these bulbs is that they will not shatter in contact with rain, however, like with every moth trap we would advise against using it in adverse weather. When fully assembled the trap measures approximately 30cm wide x 30cm deep x 50cm tall and only weighs around 2kg; much lighter than the typical solid plastic assemblies of other Skinner traps.
The trap comes supplied with a carry bag that you can use to transport and store the trap when not in use. This bag measures approximately 30cm wide and 45cm tall when all trap components are included.
The NHBS Moth trap is also available as a starter kit which includes 3 x 125ml Collecting Pots and the handy Concise Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland to help you observe and identify your catch.
*When operating this trap please screw in the blacklight bulb tightly to ensure a waterproof seal. Take care not to over tighten the blub as this can damage the contact within the holder but screw until you feel some resistance. If in doubt plug in the electrics and if the bulb doesn’t light, turn the trap off and screw the bulb a little tighter before checking again. *
Recommended reading: NHBS In the Field – NHBS Moth Trap
Moth Trap Contents:
Moth Trap Starter Kit Contents:
Material: Polypropylene, industrial nylon, industrial velcro, stainless steel
Assembled Trap Dimensions: 30 (W) x 30 (D) x 50cm (H)
Carry Bag Dimensions: 30(W) x 45cm (H)
Weight: 2kg
Lead length: 4.5m
Lead type: Wired with a standard UK plug
“The trap is very good, and comparably better in my view than equivalent 20W tube traps on the market currently though I haven’t run comparative studies as such. However, I do regularly run a similar sized black plastic trap with a similar 20W bulb, along with a Robinson 125W mercury vapour trap several metres away, as my standard night time trapping in my garden. Using the NHBS trap in an identical position, the NHBS trap has been surprisingly good, consistently catching more moths than I would expect each time, comparing it with the catches in the black plastic trap.
I like the NHBS Moth trap because it is covered with white nylon, which glows with UV light at night when the light is on. I think this helps attract the moths, and critically, by being fairly light inside the trap itself, the moths readily calm down and rest until morning. I also like the portability of the NHBS trap, and particularly that it doesn’t need a rain shield.
I would definitely recommend this trap.”
Phil Sterling, entomologist at Butterfly Conservation and author of the Field Guide to the Micro-Moths of Great Britain and Ireland