Subject: Re: wine-roping for moths

From: Martin Honey <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 10 Aug 1995 09:01:42 GMT

With reference to Patrick Roper's information on this technique it seems
to be a convenient development of the old ("invented" circa 1830) and
effective sugaring method for attracting moths. As Paul Waring was thanked
for the information I'm sure he won't mind me giving credit to Michael
Fibiger (author of series of books Noctuidae Europaeae), from whom Paul
(and I) got the information at the last SEL Congress (SEL=Societas Europaea
Lepidopterologica) in Lednice, where we had a demonstration during one
nights mothing in Slovakia. In Britain the traditional recipe has as its
base a boiled down mixture of Beer (we didn't produce wine in those days,
some would say we don't now!) and raw sugar; but with many additions to
make up "secret" recipes. Several are listed in this Museum's own
"Instructions for Collectors (no. 4a)" and include the addition of
molasses, black treacle, Barbados sugar, rum, etc., or "modern" additives
like amyl acetate. This sticky mixture was then applied to tree trunks and
fences. A quick look at one book (Kirby, 1907, Butterflies and Moths of
Europe) details various techniques for attracting moths but he also states
"When there are no trees near..... As a last resort, rags soaked in the
sugar, and stuck on the ends of sticks, will answer very well". Substitue
wine for beer and ropes for rags and we have "wine-roping". Certainly more
convenient and less messy than sugaring as the ropes are removed leaving
virtually no trace of the nights work.

To add to the information on North American Catocala's. There are 110
species of Catocala on the North American checklist, plus various
subspecies. I'm sure that it is nothing to do with the number of species
that makes them so popular, otherwise everyone would be interested in
Euxoa with 175 species! In a review of Legion of the Night, The Underwing
Moths by Theodore D, Sargent, Gerry Powell states "Catocala provide rich
material for studies of diversity, seasonal fluctuations in abundance,
isolating mechanisms, and trapping methods. Moreover, their remarkable
color variation, long a challenge to the naming abilities of even the most
industrious lepidopterists and a nightmare to nomenclaturists and
bibliographers, has added to the popularity of the Catocala". Perhaps that
sums it up?

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Martin R. Honey, Collections Management (Lepidoptera), Department
of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, LONDON,
SW7 5BD, Great Britain.
TELEPHONE: 0171 938 9338    International  +44 171 938 9338
FAX:       0171 938 8937    International  +44 171 938 8937
EMAIL:     [email-masked]
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