So I’m looking to try my hand once again at sugaring/baiting for moths this spring/summer. I’ve done it before with a mixture of ripe bananas, beer, and sugar, though I attracted little more than ants and a harvestman. Interesting, but not quite what I was after.
It seems there are many recipes online, but does anyone here have any they’ve tried with success?
Maple sap?
I’ve actually been checking maple sap flows when I visit my haunts. There are a few good ones I know of that can be productive if I visit at the right time. I don’t have any close enough to me that I can harvest from, though.
That being said, I’ve been meaning to try maple syrup. I’ve heard that can work, too, or help as an additive.
I actually just tried moth baiting last night. I used rotten bananas, red wine, and sugar, but I also failed to attract many moths. A bunch of longhorn beetles were eating it tho which was cool. I’m interested to see what other people use as well.
I’m wondering if our proportions were off? From what I’ve read, the ingredients we both used have been profitable to others in the past, but the amounts seem to differ between recipes. In my case, it’s possible I didn’t let it sit and ferment for long enough, too. Here’s hoping someone else chimes in.
Longhorn beetles! Those must have been cool to watch.
Ive never really thought of moths coming to food. The primary bait I use is UV light.
You can get the moths that actually feed while adults to come to bait. Another options to attract them is pheromones.
I tried baiting last year by smearing on tree bark (I don’t recall the exact recipe), and I ended up with very few moths, lots of chewed up bark and likely some drunk squirrels, and a dead nuthatch.