solar lights-livefood attactors.

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COUNTRY CAPITAL
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Joined: 01 Sep 2010, 08:25
Location: TAMWORTH

just wondering if many aviculturists with large planted flights have solar lights IN them?
when I landscaped my aviary I put some solar lights around the garden outside and noticed that they attracted moths and bugs, then thought why not bring some insect life to them....
mine attract bugs/moths/spiders of all shapes and sizes and I have not noticed a negative aspect yet(other than losing a doublebar to a large golden orb weaver, not really the lights fault).
am I missing something?
I am lucky to be able to locate the lights 8-10m from the shelter and they are not very bright so I don't think I am creating an artificial scenario.
many of the bugs must vanish by morning but some do hide in the grasses, hopefully for my Jacarinis and yellowrumps to find.
what do you think?
the only negative I have noticed is attracting small frogs, chasing the bugs....the occasional one gets fried :shock: on my electric fence setup....

p.s.
I am lazy and don't feed live food....other than a compost bin and these bugs.
they are cheap and work every night....particularly in summer.
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Aussie finch tragic.rodent/snake terroriser.
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SamDavis
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Joined: 03 Jan 2011, 14:01
Location: Douglas Park NSW

Coincidently just last night I took some pics of my big aviary at night for a talk tomorrow and Wednesday evenings (Macarthur Aviary Club then FSA). These fluorescent black light tubes attract heaps of moths and other insects. They're on a timer set so they stay on all night.
aviary_bl_night_aff.jpg
It looks brighter in the image than in reality. I've never had an issue with birds staying awake at night. Although I'd say it's light enough to assist birds return to their roost if disturbed.
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COUNTRY CAPITAL
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thanks for the reply Sam :thumbup:
I thought you might have the latest and greatest :mrgreen:
I bet your chats etc really go for them.

so lights inside are ok? why doesn't everyone do it?
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Painted4
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Location: Adelaide Hills, SA

I've been wanting to do something like this for a while now, but it seems every solar light I buy ends up not working....Admittedly the aviaries have a lot of tree cover, so they probably don't get a huge amount of sun.
Too far away from the house to get electricity out there either.
I intend on getting one of those battery operated moth traps, and just attaching it straight into the aviary...They're not cheap though, at around $99 per unit, I think.
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E Orix
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Location: Howlong on NSW/Vic Border 30km from Albury
Location: Howlong NSW

You are far better off building a moth trap. Then each morning through the warmer months you simply detach the bag
holding the bugs and put them in the freezer. After about 4 hours they can be fed out without any recovering and flying away.
What is not fed out just store them in an ice cream container for future feeding. It's not just softbills that take the moths etc.
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