My garden traps and lighting set-up

This is my garden set-up, a weird and wonderful array of traps and lights.
Pictured below is my old faithful Skinner trap.
I could not possibly use a mercury vapour lamp as I live in a row of semi-detached houses with the back gardens meeting the adjacent back gardens of the houses opposite, if that makes sense.
The good thing about this is the houses were built in 1917 and there are well established shrubs and a few old fruit trees, even a large Scotts Pine two gardens away.
On the downside, there is quite a lot of light pollution.
SO, my no.1 Skinner is fitted with a 20watt blacklight tube and two 11watt PL lamps filched from a "Flykiller".

At the rear of the garden is an experimental Skinner, which also has two 11watt actinic lamps on seperate bridge.

This has been quite effective but will soon have 4 x 25watt FUL lamps fitted integrally.

This should test the neighbours patience as it will soon kick out 100watts instead of the 22watts it is now producing.

On the other side at the rear of my garden lurks my home-made shed.

Two 25watt BC blacklights in batten lampholders and a 15watt actinic flourescent fitting light up the shed wall and the stone back garden wall.

A white roller blind can be pulled down for that "disco" effect when the actinic florrie is turned off.

I have had some of my best results here, including a Scarce Bordered Straw, and tonight (feb 9th) a garden 1st Oak Beauty (pics on next posting), which is very early in the year for this species.

I like to light up the walls and patrol every half an hour with spec pots and camera, whilst thinking to myself about how much shite I am NOT missing on TV these days !

Finally, at the back of the shed I have fitted another 15watt actinic florrie between the shed and the Yew tree to light up the brick wall.

A perspex rainguard has been fitted so this is now a permanent fixture. This pulled in a year first Agonopterix heracliana tonight, the experimental Skinner nailed another A. heracliana and the shed wall lights attracted the Oak Beauty.

The Number One Skinner ? Zilch ! ....That's the way it goes.

I doubt if I will run all 4 together too often, it's not so bad at this time of year when very little is flying and it makes E.D.F. very happy, but later in the year this would become a full time occupation.

So there you have it...............

Full traps !