Tonight, I set up a white sheet in my yard, with a bright LED pointing at it, to see what insects would be attracted to it. It was pathetic.
After 45 minutes, 10pm to 10:45, all I found was a handful of moths, 20 or 30 tiny little flies, and about 10 mosquitoes. I’ll try again a different night with an additional UV light source, but this was mediocre. Nothing substantial enough to even feed an adult spider.
Is that a distinct change from previous attempts wit this method and worse than expected?
If you would have done that here, you’d have sensory-overload.
The opposite of unexpected.
As I understand it, being a scientist and disappointing observations go together like… um, things that go together.
(Buffy-speak FTW!)
Try UV-LEDs! They always work very well for me, but are a bit stressing on the eyes.
The insect apocalypse is real. Recently did two multistate drives, and my windshield was practically clean when I arrived. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/25/the-insect-apocalypse-our-world-will-grind-to-a-halt-without-them
This stuff is portable — a tripod, a sheet, a battery-powered LED — so I’m thinking I should make a trip to somewhere away from this pesticide-ridden rural area and see what happens. The catch: the whole damn state is plowed over.
@lasius #4
Insect Attraction to Ultraviolet-Reflecting Spider Webs and Web Decorations
When this is done in tropical rainforests, the amount and diversity of insects it attracts is astounding. You might just be in the wrong biome.