Catocalas catching with baits

Community and Forum → Entomological collections → Catocalas catching with baits

mikee, 28.07.2018 20:12

Good day, colleagues. Due to numerous requests, I am opening
a new topic. I am aware that I am out of place, but otherwise those interested may
miss it. Then I'll move it to the correct location.
Over the past few years, we, sdi, mikee and cajarc, have managed to select
a fairly successful bait composition and develop fishing tactics and techniques
that allow us to catch tapeworms (Catocala) quite successfully.
They were caught in the middle zone of Russia, the Lower Volga region and Kazakhstan.
We haven't come up with anything fundamentally new.

Theoretically, the basics are also called axiomatics:
1. catocals feed;
2. they have little food (current trees are relatively rare);
3. current trees smell of vinegar.

Hence-the composition of the bait:
- any beer (the most crappy) - 2 liters;
- coca-Cola-1.5-2.0 liters;
- vinegar essence (70%) - 1 bottle (I don't remember the volume, it's small). Table
vinegars are unprofitable and, regardless of the origin (apple, grape
, etc.) do not improve the bait;
- good honey (!) - 0.5 liters or more;
- any red wine (from packages, for example) - 2 liters.

Honey, vinegar, and beer are mandatory. The rest is not mandatory
fillers for the volume. It is used repeatedly, the components are topped up in
the same proportion. I.e. the bait must be: fragrant (honey, beer, vinegar),
sweet (honey, coca), drunk (vinegar, beer, wine). Each of the components in its pure form works significantly (!) worse. During storage, the bait does not spoil,
it is advisable to close it so that it does not run out of steam. An additional bait is
rotten (completely) bananas. They work fine on their own, but you have to prepare and
bring them to condition in advance. Butterflies do not get drunk on them and
therefore are more careful, they are raided by dormice (a cross between
a mouse and a squirrel ), which at the same time eat and frighten butterflies.

Observations:
- many types of catocals are reluctant to come to light.
- many types of catocals are shy.
- catokals do not like to fly out from under the forest canopy.
"Catocals don't really like the smell of alcoholic fermentation.

Hence-materials and tactics of using bait:
- hemp ropes are soaked (in a bucket or five-liter plastic bottle) for at least a
couple of hours. This is very important! Loose, shaggy, and thick
hair (up to 20 mm or more). Their butterflies are not afraid at all, unlike all
sorts of rags and synthetic ropes. And they dry relatively slowly. Jute
bags don't work well.
- the location is selected depending on the target species: willows for willow-eaters,
poplars for poplars, and oaks for oak trees. Ideally, if the forest is mixed;
- the rope is hung on a tree of a suitable breed (willow, poplar, oak). One or two
turns securing the knot, the rest of the length is wrapped in a large
bundle and attached to this turn. It is better if the tree is thick and sloping.
Bundle on the outside of the slope to allow the liquid to flow down the trunk. Moss and
lichen on the trunk are rather an advantage, as they are soaked in bait and
slowly dry. You can wind the rope on a branch. Pulling a rope
between trees is worse, because it dries faster and vibrates, which catokals don't like
;
- several ropes are hung up at a distance of up to 10-15 meters. This creates
a certain volume in the forest with an attractive smell. A light breeze is useful to
increase the area of attraction. On the second or third night (cumulative
effect), butterflies fly from all over the neighborhood, so it is advisable
to leave the ropes for half a day or hang them out in advance, before dark. During the day, all the surrounding
perelivnitsy, mourning plants, polychromatic plants, and angloptera will be yours. As well
as bronzes, hornbills, some barbels and ground beetles of Promissa and sponsa
climb on the rope and bananas even during the day;
- ropes are always hung under the crowns, katokals do not like
to fly out of the forest outside! Probably because of the bats. Ideally-a clearing with
large trees and high undergrowth. For example, a tree that stands
openly even near a forest has significantly fewer butterflies than a similar
tree that grows among others in the depths of the forest. On five oaks in the middle
of a mixed forest of butterflies on two(!) there is an order of magnitude more than in the neighboring clean
oak forest with low undergrowth;
- the location is chosen so that it is convenient to approach and catch. Suspension height
- by height. Very often, drunk butterflies settle on the trunk (llamas) and
the surrounding area. They are clearly visible, as their eyes glow in the beam of a flashlight.
You can and should catch them.
- approach carefully, the flashlight - at the minimum brightness sufficient for you
. If there are few butterflies, then they are not very shy, if there are a lot of them, then
they fly away, scaring each other, from the slightest rustle and change
in light;
- it is undesirable to put the screen next to baits.

Fishing technique:
- fishing in a plastic or glass jar with cotton wool and ethyl acetate. A net
is acceptable in the absence of other possibilities, but the butterflies in it almost
always go bald;
- we catch no more than 2-3-4 butterflies in a jar. It is necessary to wait until
the previous butterfly stops beating, otherwise they spoil each other;
- periodically, every 15-20 minutes, we check the ropes. Or we stand very quietly
near them, because small and timid species fly up and feed very
briefly;
- it is advisable to pour liquid bait over the ropes as they dry out, without removing
them.

Some conclusions from the results:
- there are many and very many katokalas in the forest! It depends on the size and composition of the forest and,
of course, the waves of life. There are much more catocals in the south than in the north.
- depending on the species, 0.1 to 25% of butterflies are born. For bait -
up to 100% of all available species in a given forest at a given time. It was very insulting
to see swarming in the crowns of tall puerpera willows, which did not want
to come to the screen;
- the influence of the moon phase when fishing for bait was not noticed;
- the warmer the night, the better the summer;
- rain is not a hindrance, if not very strong;
- the larger the catocala, the denser and longer it sits on the rope;
- all feeding species arrive. Especially often, pyramidal scoops,
which greatly interfere with fishing.

Good luck. And experiment with the composition and proportions. I wrote the basics.

Comments

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30.07.2018 8:31, Konung

By the way, your favorite pacts seem to be coming out better. This is probably due to the fact that it is a butterfly of open, rather than forest biotopes. It eats small-leaved willows growing on peat bogs and riverbanks. Unfortunately, we have not yet had a chance to set up a pure experiment, i.e. to catch separately on light and separately on bait. The bait is illuminated from the screen in an open place, and there is nothing really to hang the ropes on...

In an open place, in the steppe, for example, I hang at least pheromones, even baits on ordinary folding 2-meter fishing rods with rings, which I fix in the ground on metal holders bought with the rods. Easy, cheap, compact and practical. They always lie in a case with a screen and sometimes come in handy in such cases. You can also hang a lamp on them, if necessary, etc.

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02.08.2018 15:57, Andrei Dolgikh

Colleagues, feedback and your observations are highly desirable. Together, we optimize the process faster.

I also experimented with baits. The specified composition is good, there are no words. Increased its smell with its bait: the middle of the melon (with seeds) is placed in a plastic bottle + 5-10 tablespoons of sugar and for a couple of days in the heat. THE SMELL!!! The resulting garbage is poured to half in a 0.5 l plastic bottle, holed in a circle, closed with a cork and hung on a tree in the shade. During the day-an invasion of wasps, hornets, and nymphalids. At night-no dustpans.
Yesterday I decided to try to mix your composition with my own garbage.... I was amazed at the number of fraxini... I tried to disperse them somehow , but it was useless. Other catocals were not allowed to sit on the jar, on the tree, or even in the grass where the mixture dripped. I decided to go to bed before they beat me in the face in a drunken stupor.

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04.08.2018 14:50, s585

Mercy for the recipe! It works noticeably better than the fermented apple and banana puree I've tried before.

The first day on fruit two fraxini and there was someone one of the red ones, but flew away.

The second day on the recipe from this topic (cola+beer+wine+honey+vinegar essence), five fraxini + 2 flew away, two nupta and one sponsor + 3 red flew away.

For some reason, catokals do not sit on the bait for a long time, they will drink a little and fly away. But they fly confidently, like a magnet pulling them. I wrapped something like gray batting around the rope and tied it to a birch tree. The forest is mixed, mostly pine, but about 20% deciduous.

Interestingly, the fruits on the first day were massively Amphipyra perflua and not a single A. pyramidea. On the second day, everything is exactly the opposite, only pyramidea and not a single perflua. Randomness or regularity, it is not clear.

On the first day I caught from 22 o'clock, after 24 to half past one there was no one and I left.
On the second day I caught from 21: 30, we flew as soon as we arrived, although it was still dusk, but from 23:30 we abruptly stopped flying and after waiting until 24 hours left. A question for the experienced - do catocals always fly worse late at night, or is it just me?

From other visitors on the first day, a fox came, then a red cat (it is not clear where it came from in the woods at night) and an owl sat above her head and screamed for a long time. On the second day, there was no cat, but three foxes came, first an adult, and a little later a pair of young ones. The owl also flew in, but already sat in silence, only shouted a couple of times.

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05.08.2018 22:35, Kallima

Last night I decided to try it, though in my vacant lot behind the house.
I soaked the ropes with a mixture of wine, honey, beer, and vinegar essence. We hung two baits in the evening in a rare birch tree, not really expecting that someone would come. Birches near the edge of the grove,the breeze pulling the smell inside. Fifteen minutes later, at approximately 22 hours, various small scoops and one red catocala, most likely a nupta, arrived. But she was afraid of the lantern and flew away. There was no way to keep watch for long. The diaries were feasting there this morning! The ropes are barely dry, and the smell is so strong! I put more fruit from compote and melon center on top. About a dozen admirals were sitting on the ropes and around, already fed up.Peacock's eye, anglewort, and even mourner have arrived! I haven't seen them around here in twenty years.
Wonderful bait composition!

This post was edited by Kallima - 05.08.2018 22: 36

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06.08.2018 13:34, Andrei Dolgikh

But in our experience, all these fruit delights do not give an effect. We tried melon, watermelon, apricots... The exception is rotten bananas.

No frills!!! 2 days of fermentation and a day for souring-the aroma is fucking awesome!!! The results are visible in my post above. Yes, watermelon is garbage, apricots-too.... I also excreted. And your mixture-rules, definitely!!!

But there is not always a store nearby and free money. But my jamshuts eat melons every single day. However, as well as watermelons. And at the same time they provide me with raw materials

Last night, the pacts were closed-from 22: 00 (twilight) to 23: 30. Then the Fraxini arrived and the feast was over

This post was edited by major65 - 06.08.2018 13: 37

06.08.2018 20:28, СаняМухолов

Yesterday in the Shchelkovsky district. Next to the house there is a forest, I have already gone there a couple of times with a generator to shine, and at the same time I poured a mixture on the tree. Ingredients: beer (which is cheap from the Top Five for 45r strong), essences and clots " Red price "(clots by the way immediately curdled). While the sun was shining, I went to see what had arrived. Result. Fraxini are not afraid at all, I approached them and when you can't grab them with your hand, they didn't fly away, and even if they did, they walked around their face and hands attracted by the flashlight. There was also one fulmination. P.S. it is necessary to hang baits in parks, with the inscription " feed the moths, they are hungry!)))))

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30.08.2018 17:45, Aleksn

Good day to all!
After reading the detailed instructions from mikee, I also decided to check out how the bait works. The research was conducted in the Serpukhov district of the Moscow region from 02.08 to 20.08.18. By the way, I didn't find the right rope right away. In the nearest markets, there were none, only jute or very thin ones. I bought the last 7 meters in the nearest Leroy. Probably everyone wants to watch catocles?

The composition used the above, with the exception of wine, which for some reason was not in the nearest pyaterochka (it was listed as an optional component, for volume).
I started my research with a dacha plot in the village of Martyanovo (2.08-6.08). The place is a meadow overgrown with trees about 50 meters from the forest.
On the first night, I hung the ropes on an apple tree, birch and pine (there are no willows or other trees on the plot, but there are goat trees and one large small-leaved one nearby). The result of the first attempt is zero. I think it played the role of partial illumination of the bait. Parallel to the sun. The DRV 250W lamp was located 20-30 meters away from trees with ropes. 1 fraxini was born that night. The next night I turned off the lamp. One fraxini came to the rope on the apple tree (I was on duty until 1.00). A couple of subsequent nights with a lamp – nothing on the ropes again. Conclusion: illumination, even partial, definitely affects.
In the afternoon, respectively, an invasion of admirals, sometimes a c-white anglwing, 1 egeria flew in.
Then I decided to move to the forest, where there is absolutely no light. The location was chosen in the valley of the river Sushki, the village of Danki. The rope is fixed on a thick sloping lime tree. The forest in the district is mixed. Total of 1 night(7.08) – 2 fraxini. Time 22.00-23.00. In the morning, there is no one on the surrounding trunks. In the next 3 nights(8,9,10.08), my friend (he is a local) continued to observe. The result of 3 nights, as well as the first-1-2 fraxini, in the last night 10.08 1 nupta. In the morning we checked with the dawn at 5.00 and later no one. Admirals in the afternoon.
Then 11.08 moved for one night in the area of the village of Nikiforovo. Place - the edge of the forest, a lot of small-leaved willow. Ropes on willows. Time 21.00-23.30. The first fraxini arrived at 21.50. The result is 3 fraxini and 2 red, one of them is exactly nupta(the second did not have time to consider, immediately left). Reds are more fearful. A little light, just fly away.
Smaller scoops, such as swans, also flew up. Pacta, which was supposed to be photographed in Nikiforovo, was not found. It's probably early in the year and they've already left. For example, catocala fulminea flew to the world this year in mid-July, later, in early August, they were no longer there.
Then 12-20. 08 moved the ropes to the forest on oaks (near about 5 old and at the edge of a dozen young 2-4 meters) again in the area of Martyanovo in the hope of catocala sponsa or catocala promissa. Monitored during the day-only numerous admirals. At night, the approach is inconvenient – go back through the ravine. Therefore, I designed a trap with a rope soaked in the mixture in the jar as bait. The result of the 1st night (checked in the morning at 7.00) - 2 sovkovidki pink, 1 swan scoop, one pyromidal. The second morning I was late, arriving only at 8.45. There were already a dozen admirals in the trap, 1 egeria, and finally one mourner arrived. Of the moths, only 1 scoop is pink. I think the admirals scared them off. This completes the bait testing process.
Bottom line:
Bait in combination with ropes works. The process of shooting butterflies with a flashlight built-in flash and a tripod is adjusted. All that's left is for the right species to arrive. And they, namely pacta, electa, sponsa, promissa for some reason did not come to the bait. Catocala pacta and promissa I assume that this year by the time of my experiment they were already flying away, since, judging by the information on the forums, they should be in the places I examined. Catocala sponsa once flew into the light in Martyanovo, i.e. it also lives in the area. There remains catocala electa, which is not included in the annotated list of lepidoptera of the Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve. Regarding it, a question for experts-does electa fly to the light or only to the bait?

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31.08.2018 11:13, Aleksn

As recently as last night, sponsa dominated the bait in the island oak grove in the center of the region, and on the screen a couple was noted, although only females and already in rags.

Perhaps in your area, sponsa is common, but in the Moscow region it is rare. So on the screen for 10 years of observations, I watched it only once 12.08.2011. But this is at my dacha plot. This time I hung the ropes in the forest, in the place of the greatest concentration of oak. This place is 350 meters away from the meeting in 2011, but no sponsa came to the trap day or night. Traps put the truth only for 2 nights, I think it was necessary for a longer period , but they require constant inspection, as during the day they are clogged with admirals.

31.08.2018 11:49, Aleksn

I personally did not notice a special reaction to the lighting - I put my "Niva" on the dimensions of 5-6 meters from the baits and sit quietly and consume coffee and a cigarette.... It's semi-dark and you can clearly see that someone has arrived. Nocturnals are not afraid of light, but of its movement or change in intensity. Fraxini, nupta, cygnus, and ypsilon are still flying en masse. For the rest -

Interesting facts. And I have the opposite experience in terms of highlighting the bait. Once upon a time, back in the mid-90s, I used sour bread kvass as bait. Without light, catocals and other scoops climbed into the suspended jar. On some evenings, you could just see a swarm of butterflies around you. And this is not in the forest, but in a suburban area. The next year I bought a lamp, hung the bait about five meters away in the same place, hoping to see how the butterflies would pull up, and the result was zero-not a single scoop. At the same time, they fly well into the light. The light is constant.
Currently, Nupta and fraxini also continue to arrive, but in the light. The experiment with baits was suspended for the time being due to problems with time.

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01.09.2018 23:54, Andrei Dolgikh

Yes, of course I read your post. But since we are talking about this topic, I wanted to clarify when the headlights were turned on? When the bandwigs were already gathered and fed up with the bait, or were the headlights turned on, and the katokals, not paying attention to the light, flew to the bait? In my case, DRL and DRV lamps were used, I think they distract the butterflies more. Agree that their light spectrum is not the same as that of car headlights.
And turning on the flashlight and its light, those fraxini whom I observed were also not afraid.

The dimensions are turned on permanently - not very bright, but you can clearly see who is arriving and where - neither katokal nor other scoops are at all afraid of this. I turned on the low and high beams to scare the fraxines away. But they didn't give a damn about my bullying from the high bell tower. In my opinion, they are when they are drunk and ready to fill the bear's face.

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17.09.2018 22:24, Wave Storm

I tried it yesterday in the park, 16.09.2018, but no one arrived (Kherson region, N. Kakhovka). What did I do wrong? I left the bait at 18: 43 somewhere it was already getting dark, and after 21: 10 I stopped by to check. As ingredients, I used 0.25 liters of acacia honey, 0.5 liters of the cheapest beer, 0.5 liters of red semi-sweet wine, 125 ml of vinegar essence (the bottle is really small, 250 ml). It seems that the ratio of components corresponds to the recipe, only 4 times less volume. But I took a jute rope: somehow at this moment I didn't pay attention initially, and when I had already soaked it, I reread the topic, and only then did I notice that mikee didn't advise taking them. Had she ruined everything? But I didn't find any linen or hemp products in our stores.

user posted image

As for the bait according to the major65 recipe, I tried it out in almost the same place in the park (the difference in distance is 15 meters), 21.08.2018 . I just poured it on the stump and stood next to it for 25-30 minutes. 2 scoops of Cosmia affinis arrived (definition-Yuri Geryak):

user posted image

This post was edited by Wave Storm - 17.09.2018 22: 26

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18.09.2018 22:36, Andrei Dolgikh

What did I do wrong? I left the bait at 18: 43 somewhere it was already getting dark, and after 21: 10 I stopped by to check. But I took a jute rope: somehow at this moment I didn't pay attention initially, and when I had already soaked it, I reread the topic, and only then did I notice that mikee didn't advise taking them. Had she ruined everything? But I didn't find any linen or hemp products in our stores. As for the bait according to the major65 recipe, I tried it out in almost the same place in the park (the difference in distance is 15 meters), 21.08.2018 . I just poured it on the stump and stood next to it for 25-30 minutes. 2 scoops of Cosmia affinis arrived (definition-Yuri Geryak):

As always, there are several options:
- out of season,
- the wrong biotope....
Jute, in the absence of another one, is also suitable - I tried it, only jute needs to be watered often with bait - it dries much faster than hemp, and its absorbency is much worse. And our hemp products for every taste, color and size are sold at the most common collective farm market - in household goods. Look there - they should be. From my experience, I hung and laid out the baits during the day ((in the evening) - as soon as the heat subsided, but at least a weak breeze did not disappear yet. Well, I checked until one or two in the morning. Some species fly after one o'clock.

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19.09.2018 10:42, Wave Storm

As always, there are several options:
- out of season,
- the wrong biotope....
Jute, in the absence of another one, is also suitable - I tried it, only jute needs to be watered often with bait - it dries much faster than hemp, and its absorbency is much worse. And our hemp products for every taste, color and size are sold at the most common collective farm market - in household goods. Look there - they should be. From my experience, I hung and laid out the baits during the day ((in the evening) - as soon as the heat subsided, but at least a weak breeze did not disappear yet. Well, I checked until one or two in the morning. Some species fly after one o'clock.

In general, from catocala we definitely have Catocala nupta, Catocala deducta and Catocala puerpera, they used to fly into the entrances. Probably already departed. There are a lot of poplars in the park itself. But even if it wasn't katokals, other scoops might have flown in. I covered such a clearing for them, and they did...

It was cooler in our country, compared to August, of course, but it was around 20 degrees that night. The wind is not strong.

I looked for ropes in hardware stores, but they don't have any. I'll probably try some more rags.

In general, I have a suspicion of the essence. It doesn't look right, it doesn't smell like vinegar, it smells like fruit. And the bait smells more like wine than vinegar.

This post was edited by Wave Storm - 19.09.2018 10: 49