# Moth bait works great!



## hopefoot (Oct 27, 2012)

I have an entomologist friend that specializes in moths. He gave me this easy recipe to make moth bait.

Bananas

Brown sugar

Take how ever many bananas you want. Without peeling and without breaking the skin, smush them. Leave them alone for 3 days. Peel and put the mush in a container. Leave that for 1 day. Then add an equal amount of brown sugar and stir it up.

On a night where the temperature will be above 44 F for at least a half an hour after sunset go paint some young trees with your mixture. I don't know why young trees work better but my friend said that when he tried putting the bait on the older, larger trees he didn't have as much success. Try to find trees that are at the edge of a path or the woods. Do your applying about 3 or 4 hours before sunset. Go back just after sunset and viola, your bait will have attracted many, many moths. The moths will only be there for about 20 minutes. Just did this tonight and it worked!

When you're painting your trees I advise bringing some Wet Wipes or some such because if you do like me and use leaves for a paintbrush and get it all over your hands you will realize how incredibly sticky this mixture is.

You may say, why do this when you can use a light and a sheet at night? This is for the nights when it's too cold to get many moths to come to your light, at the end of fall and even the beginning of winter. My friend said he's caught moths in January!


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## lancaster1313 (Oct 27, 2012)

Were there any underwing moths? I have heard of a similar recipe for them that had beer added.


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## Mvalenz (Oct 27, 2012)

Great. Thanks.


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## Rick (Oct 28, 2012)

Interesting. I'll have to try. Currently I have three butterfly bushes and I just go out there and catch butterflies by hand. The amount of them those plants attract is amazing.


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## petoly (Oct 28, 2012)

Rick said:


> Interesting. I'll have to try. Currently I have three butterfly bushes and I just go out there and catch butterflies by hand. The amount of them those plants attract is amazing.


I believe ya! my neighbor has a passion vine and for the last month I have been picking like 50 butterfly cocoons a week. I am interested in this recipe sounds like a fun project! =)


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## hopefoot (Oct 28, 2012)

Likebugs - Not sure but I think he said it might attract those kind of moths. I'm fairly sure that what I got were not those, I think mine might have been gypsies. I sent him a picture, waiting for ID.

I call the Butterfly Bush the bug crack bush.


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## Crazy4mantis (Oct 29, 2012)

I want a butterfly bush, but I have pretty much every other bush growing in my garden!


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## Mime454 (Oct 30, 2012)

Rick said:


> Interesting. I'll have to try. Currently I have three butterfly bushes and I just go out there and catch butterflies by hand. The amount of them those plants attract is amazing.


This is my MO too. Butterfly bushes are some of the most useful things to have during the spring and summer if you're keeping mantids. More than enough feeders for half the year from my 3x3' butterfly bush.


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## Malakyoma (Oct 30, 2012)

Never heard of a butterfly bush before. Where could I find one of those for the spring?


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## Mime454 (Oct 30, 2012)

Malakyoma said:


> Never heard of a butterfly bush before. Where could I find one of those for the spring?


This is what I have. http://www.brighterblooms.com/product/black-knight-butterfly-bush.html?&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=base&amp;utm_campaign=BASE&amp;utm_term=%7Bkeyword%7D&amp;gclid=CNyQ8dGpqbMCFRBgMgod4WQAqw IDK where to get them in canada. I got mine from a friend.


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## Malakyoma (Oct 30, 2012)

I'll check out the greenhouses come the spring. ask around for a butterfly bush. Does it only attract butterflies or other insects too?


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## Mime454 (Oct 30, 2012)

Malakyoma said:


> I'll check out the greenhouses come the spring. ask around for a butterfly bush. Does it only attract butterflies or other insects too?


Certain moths, butterflies, hummingbirds, bee mimic flies and real bees.


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