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Full Spectrum Lighting - To Catch Queens @ Night

blacklighting full spectrum night

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17 replies to this topic

#1 Offline StopSpazzing - Posted February 14 2018 - 12:46 PM

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I was wondering why more people don't use full spectrum lighting instead of blacklighting?  There is a larger range of emitted light on a Full Spectrum light compared to a blacklight; ~380-840nm vs ~380-400nm. I recently purchased a 50W Full Spectrum LED and waiting to receive it, in the mean time want to know what people think.


> Ant Keeping Wiki is back up! Currently being migrated from old wiki. :)Looking to adopt out: Crematogaster sp. (Acrobat Ants) colonies

#2 Offline Jadeninja9 - Posted February 14 2018 - 2:22 PM

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Did you buy it online?

#3 Offline StopSpazzing - Posted February 14 2018 - 2:34 PM

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Did you buy it online?

Ofcourse, was cheap and once I get it will be doing a full inspection of it to make sure it operates properly.


> Ant Keeping Wiki is back up! Currently being migrated from old wiki. :)Looking to adopt out: Crematogaster sp. (Acrobat Ants) colonies

#4 Offline Jadeninja9 - Posted February 14 2018 - 3:07 PM

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Did you buy it online?

Ofcourse, was cheap and once I get it will be doing a full inspection of it to make sure it operates properly.

Can you link me it?

#5 Offline StopSpazzing - Posted February 14 2018 - 3:27 PM

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https://www.ebay.com...0V/222488870677

 

No driver needed which is nice. Just need a heatsink else you will fry the LED's. Can use a CPU heatsink/fan combo. I also purchased a lens and reflector + bracket: 

 

https://www.ebay.com...ty/142662373053

 

Less than $6 dollars total. Keep in mind this particular one requires AC110/220. I chose this cause I have an inverter for use in my car. Could have purchased a 100W + Driver + cigerette lighter plug and used less power but price goes up and so does the complication. I plan to in future however if this works out.


> Ant Keeping Wiki is back up! Currently being migrated from old wiki. :)Looking to adopt out: Crematogaster sp. (Acrobat Ants) colonies

#6 Offline Jadeninja9 - Posted February 14 2018 - 6:18 PM

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I’m just gonna stick to my 15ww black light with a portable charger lol

#7 Offline C_B - Posted February 14 2018 - 6:55 PM

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I’m just gonna stick to my 15ww black light with a portable charger lol

Got any links to those lol? I am hoping to try black lighting here in Reno and up in Lake Tahoe once it gets warmer.



#8 Offline Chandlerk - Posted February 16 2018 - 8:55 AM

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The only benefit to full spectrum would be additional heat emissions. But with LEDs you won't really even have that.

Otherwise it is less efficient. A 380-400nm will put out more UV than the equivalent power full spectrum LED.

https://goo.gl/images/x16cag

Full spectrum LEDs are one of the best lights to use IF you must use full spectrum. If I were using that, I would add a heat source, too.

You're looking for sub 400nm wavelengths because that is what attracts them, the rest is pretty much a waste.
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#9 Offline noebl1 - Posted February 16 2018 - 10:01 AM

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For the last couple years I've been anting, definitely noticed how the color temperature of the light makes a difference.  I had numerous ant queen species attracted to my driveway lights, so made it easy to find them just walking back and forth between the posts every few mins.  Last winter I replaced a couple of the bulbs with LEDs (they were a CFL of some unknown temperature), and the LEDs barely attract any insects, while looking brighter in the visible light I can see.  The old CFLs at the same time had noticeably more insects (not just ants) attracted to them.


Edited by noebl1, February 16 2018 - 10:39 AM.

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#10 Offline kellakk - Posted February 16 2018 - 1:13 PM

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Many insect collectors use mercury vapor bulbs in addition to blacklights.  These go even further into the UV spectrum than blacklights, so they are good for attracting all sorts of insects.  The only downside is that they are too bright, so insects will fly in but then perch in dark areas further away. Because of this, some people set up multiple sheets with a mercury vapor bulb at one sheet and a blacklight at a sheet nearby.

 

Another technique that's often used, especially among beetle collectors, is to put a blacklight on a sheet on the ground.  This actually might be good for collecting ants as well, but I've never heard of it being done among anters.


Current Species:
Camponotus fragilis

Novomessor cockerelli

Pogonomyrmex montanus

Pogonomyrmex rugosus

Manica bradleyi

 

 


#11 Offline AntsMaryland - Posted February 16 2018 - 1:16 PM

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Many insect collectors use mercury vapor bulbs in addition to blacklights.  These go even further into the UV spectrum than blacklights, so they are good for attracting all sorts of insects.  The only downside is that they are too bright, so insects will fly in but then perch in dark areas further away. Because of this, some people set up multiple sheets with a mercury vapor bulb at one sheet and a blacklight at a sheet nearby.

 

Another technique that's often used, especially among beetle collectors, is to put a blacklight on a sheet on the ground.  This actually might be good for collecting ants as well, but I've never heard of it being done among anters.

Interesting.


Aphaenogaster cf. rudis 

Tetramorium immigrans 

Tapinoma sessile

Formica subsericea

Pheidole sp.

Camponotus nearcticus


#12 Offline ZllGGY - Posted February 16 2018 - 1:24 PM

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Many insect collectors use mercury vapor bulbs in addition to blacklights.  These go even further into the UV spectrum than blacklights, so they are good for attracting all sorts of insects.  The only downside is that they are too bright, so insects will fly in but then perch in dark areas further away. Because of this, some people set up multiple sheets with a mercury vapor bulb at one sheet and a blacklight at a sheet nearby.

 

Another technique that's often used, especially among beetle collectors, is to put a blacklight on a sheet on the ground.  This actually might be good for collecting ants as well, but I've never heard of it being done among anters.

what about hanging the black light above the sheet on the ground?


Colonies:

 

Founding:

Camponotus cf. Modoc

Camponotus cf. Herculeanus

 

Dream Ants:

 

Stenamma Diecki

Solenopsis Molesta

Manica Invidia

Camponotus Herculeanus

Lasius Latipes

Dorymyrmex Pyramicus

Tapinoma Sessile


#13 Offline StopSpazzing - Posted February 16 2018 - 10:05 PM

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Problem is LED's are so nm(light wavelength) directed that you would have to have UV LED's in all the available spectrum of UV 360-400nm for it to work. Thinking about building this setup in future, each LED emits a range of ~10nm so would need at least 4 to get the whole UV range, this is why Fluorescence works better, as it gets that complete range. Downfall to FL, tend to waste more power and are breakable.
 

 

Many insect collectors use mercury vapor bulbs in addition to blacklights.  These go even further into the UV spectrum than blacklights, so they are good for attracting all sorts of insects.  The only downside is that they are too bright, so insects will fly in but then perch in dark areas further away. Because of this, some people set up multiple sheets with a mercury vapor bulb at one sheet and a blacklight at a sheet nearby.
 
Another technique that's often used, especially among beetle collectors, is to put a blacklight on a sheet on the ground.  This actually might be good for collecting ants as well, but I've never heard of it being done among anters.

what about hanging the black light above the sheet on the ground?

 

Should still work.


Edited by StopSpazzing, February 17 2018 - 12:18 AM.

> Ant Keeping Wiki is back up! Currently being migrated from old wiki. :)Looking to adopt out: Crematogaster sp. (Acrobat Ants) colonies

#14 Offline dspdrew - Posted February 16 2018 - 10:49 PM

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Like Chandlerk said, some of the power that light will be consuming is a just waste. The most efficient use of power would be a plain UV light like the ones used in bug zappers. Those are the same as black lights, just without the filter added to them to filter out the majority of visible light.

 

Here is the trap I started building a few years ago but never finished.
 
http://www.formicult...rch-and-design/


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#15 Offline gcsnelling - Posted February 17 2018 - 4:57 AM

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You might try these bulbs, http://www.leptraps.com/uvmvbulbs.htm

 

you can likely get them cheaper some place else though. When running a light I generally use a vertical sheet and one flat one the ground.

 

some good information here

 

http://insectnet.pro...lack-light-blue


Edited by gcsnelling, February 17 2018 - 5:08 AM.


#16 Offline Martialis - Posted February 17 2018 - 11:39 AM

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You might try these bulbs, http://www.leptraps.com/uvmvbulbs.htm

 

you can likely get them cheaper some place else though. When running a light I generally use a vertical sheet and one flat one the ground.

 

some good information here

 

http://insectnet.pro...lack-light-blue

What's the ballast for those bulbs ?


Spoiler

#17 Offline 123LordOfAnts123 - Posted February 17 2018 - 4:04 PM

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I’m partial to mercury vapor lights; their brightness seeems to attract more insects from farther away.

#18 Offline StopSpazzing - Posted February 17 2018 - 10:59 PM

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I’m partial to mercury vapor lights; their brightness seeems to attract more insects from farther away.

@ 400W sure would be much brighter than small blacklights and such, so obviously this is the case

 

We will compare our findings once I have built a 400W LED blacklight setup. ;)


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> Ant Keeping Wiki is back up! Currently being migrated from old wiki. :)Looking to adopt out: Crematogaster sp. (Acrobat Ants) colonies





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