How To Blacklight for Moths and other insects

After huge request by our fans, we're going step-by-step into the How's and Why's of Blacklighting for insects. Exploring Mother Nature's Night Life, is a cool and unique opportunity to see what flies, hops and crawls around ANY environment, including your backyard... every night, all summer long! This cool and unique technique isn't only used to collect insects, it's also used to observe, research, count and record the variety of insect species that can occur ANYWHERE!
Simply follow these steps and you can open a door to a crazy-cool world that most people sleep through! Warning... this CAN be addictive. Once you've stepped into the ultra-violet realm of insects, the darkness will never be the same again. So watch this video... and go Blacklighting!
Find me on Instagram, too! / rb_bugman
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[@pkre707]

I’d love to see you do more in depth a tour of sorts of all the insects you find on your cloth. Some of us city boys can’t do this!

[@ryanthebugman6750]

That's a good idea. But.. truthfully.. City Boys prolly CAN do this. Competition from other lights might be your biggest problem. The moths ARE there, flying every night. City, Country.. everywhere. Maybe try it near a city park, or other area that isn't fully lit up. Roof Tops are also great places to try this. Let me know if you do AND how it works for you. Thanks!

[@HotaruTomoe]

I live in a city and have a 400w HPS blacklight. Let's just say that turning it on inside the apartment at night, it won't take long to hear little thuds in the window. And if you happen to leave a window open... Good luck finding and getting rid of all the insects inside the apartment. One time when i has fun with it and after i still found moths 2 days later.

[@ericabernethy9494]

You are inspiring and educating. Thank you Ryan.

[@ryanthebugman6750]

You are welcome! Always my pleasure and I'm glad you like the vids.

[@fjorddriver]

Well done, Ryan! Loved the Arizona scene!

[@sorrywatchingmizkif7429]

I LOVE insects! Especially moths they are such pretty things

[@otrotland5377]

looks good, I use a dynotrap with two flood lights on timers, every hour during the night the flood lights turn on for a while and then off. The amount of pests in my garden is way lower now.

[@jaedenspider877]

I love bugs

[@farnorthhomested844]

i have a couple of bats flying around that i see at dusk. i thought, how can i see them at night? i said to myself, put out a bug light. i looked at lowes and home depot for yellow lights. most led yellow lights stated repels insects, we used to have a yellow light bulb on the house years ago. not led. and there was always bugs and moths hanging around the light on the house. then i just typed in bug light on lowes/home depot and found black led light bulbs at home depot. then i thought, maybe some one has a video on attracting night time bugs. so here i am. GREAT VIDEOS!

[@rex-up9ln]

Great video, love your setup

[@PeterWFishing]

good stuff ryan! i gotta try cycling the mercury vapor bulb. i’ve got an LED black light to put up alongside. hopefully it helps!

[@djm5k]

So what is the purpose of attracting the insects? Do you catch specimens for a bug collection? Provide a place for bugs and humans to congregate and socialize together? Wouldn’t it be better to use a ballasted mercury vapor lamp instead of a self-ballasted lamp since you still have an incandescent filament in the bulb that is still putting out white light in addition to the mercury arc tube in bulb. Good to see you are using clear mercury vapor bulbs for maximum UV.

[@rex-up9ln]

The purpose is documentation. They don't trap em. The photographs are uploaded to websites like inaturalist. This helps document the local biodiversity as well as the annual/seasonal trends. Citizen science

[@allclades]

This is the best description I've found. So should I point the MV light up?

[@ryanthebugman6750]

I use more than 1 mv bulb, but if I were only using a single mv, ....I would, as long as I was planning to cycle the bulb on / off throughout the night.

[@djdjwjwnjsjwjwn]

niceeeeeeee

[@georgescg7342]

cool stuff.

[@DalsPhotography]

Isn't Bioequip closed by now??? I am looking for those lights and can't find them anywhere and in my country (Uruguay) vapor bulbs are forbidden so , none around.... Please help me out? Amazing butterflies, and by the way those clamps are amazing, never seen them before! Best from Uruguay.

[@erikiacopelli451]

How bout black lights? Do they work better?! I'm building a set up now to start catching bugs.

[@SuperLlamalover]

Hello! I have only been mothing for a year or two (but have reared caterpillars much longer), so I am still trying to figure out a good setup. One thing that I worry about is rain, since I have heard that it can cause bulbs to shatter. How much rain is too much? Should I be worried about a drizzle? Are MV bulbs more sensitive to moisture than UV lights? Do you have any tips for homemade rain shields? Thank you!

[@lukesnightsatfreddys3136]

Don’t get them wet I just try to cover them up

[@corruptedgaming6634]

Is it possible to have a list of these lights so I could purchase them myself? Thank you.

[@possum.shroom7477]

would this work during fall? i would love to do this but im scared it might be to cool for any insects to come out, i live in lousiana so it doesnt get to cold down here.

[@rinky_dinky]

hey maybe you can help me out here , my baby daughter and i sometimes get mysterious bites in the middle of the night , it most likely isnt mosquitoes as we net up our windows , my question is , am i able to use black light to check under the bed or corners for things like bed bugs, mites or spiders ? Thanks a bunch

[@austinschmidt8656]

Hey Ryan, love the video! Im just getting into mothing and I was curious if you could share where to source the self ballasted mercury vapor bulb. Thank you!!

[@ryanthebugman6750]

BioQuip.com

[@RibeyeSuze]

Great vid! If I want to deter moths at the door, can I use a led color changing smart bulb turned on yellow or gold? Any advice?

[@medaningsihtheresia5784]

More big more gealan end the fast

[@123pirinola]

Are anti-UV safety glasses required when using bright mercury lamps? Do you use anti-UV glasses? i just invested in a mercury lamp and am looking for safety glasses but I am not sure which to purchase. Could use some help on this one.

[@vineleak7676]

Any uv blocking sunglasses will do and yes you need them, you can even get a sunburn from these lamps... even strong UV leds

[@duhduhvesta]

Do you bait?

[@hahaahahqoqouajwcsiajevejksv]

Egg