2019

UNIVERSITY MOTH CHALLENGE

Kindly sponsored by

UNIVERSITY MOTH CHALLENGE www.butterfly-conservation.org

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Welcome!

1.0 What is University Moth Challenge?

In a nutshell, University Moth Challenge (UMOC) is all about

drawing like-minded people together to take part in the fun,

sociable and fascinating world of moth recording!

University Moth Challenge is a joint initiative by the UK’s youth

nature network A Focus on Nature (AFoN) and Butterfly

Conservation (BC), the UK charity dedicated to saving

butterflies and moths. Together our aims are:

To encourage more biological recording at University

To encourage more young people to take an active

interest in moths

To give young people valuable biological recording and

identification skills

To link young people and Universities with the National

Moth Recording Scheme, run by Butterfly

Conservation.

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Butterflies and moths are extremely valuable

indicators of the state of the environment.

Butterfly Conservation runs schemes to record

and monitor them which involve over 15,000

volunteer recorders. Join the movement!

UNIVERSITY MOTH CHALLENGE www.butterfly-conservation.org

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We are inviting students studying in colleges and

universities across the UK to form a team and use a range

of survey and trapping techniques to discover moths on

their campus and beyond. To make things more

interesting, we have set this up as a competition. Teams

compete against each other to win some exciting prizes in

the following categories:

Number of species caught

Number of individual moths caught

Number of people taking part in a single

survey/trapping event

Number of trapping sessions held.

2.0 Why Record Moths?

University Moth Challenge is designed to give students an

opportunity to develop new skills and have fun in the

process. But there is a real and pressing conservation

side to this too.

People have been studying and recording moths in the UK

for centuries. Today, as in the past, the main motivation is

personal enjoyment. Moths are amazing, beautiful,

diverse, and they are all around us. However, by passing

on sightings (records) a fun pastime can also provide vital

resources to underpin nature conservation.

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UNIVERSITY MOTH CHALLENGE www.butterfly-conservation.org

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There is a clear need for urgent conservation action. The

abundance of the UK’s larger moths has crashed during

the past 40 years with three species becoming extinct

since 2000.

The State of Britain’s Larger Moths Report 2013 found

that two-thirds of common and widespread larger

species (macro-moths) declined in the last 40 years.

By taking part in the scheme we hope to hook many

students in to the fascinating world of moths and moth

recording so that we can continue to collect the data we

need to conserve them.

3.0 What’s in it for you?

There are many benefits for participants, including:

Experience of moth survey methods and data

recording

Gaining knowledge on UK moths, the issues they

face and their conservation

Advice on moth matters

Access to moth experts

Access to additional survey methods via local

moth groups

FREE membership to BC for a year

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UNIVERSITY MOTH CHALLENGE www.butterfly-conservation.org

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Competition for jobs in the environmental sector is fierce

and many employers are looking for that extra sign of

interest and commitment. Demonstrable survey skills will be

a great addition to your CV. And don’t forget, this is a

competition and that means prizes! This year Moth

University Challenge is being kindly sponsored by NHBS

(www.nhbs.com), suppliers of wildlife and ecology books

and equipment. The winning team in each category will

each receive a NHBS goodie bag!

4.0 Your Team

There is no limit to the number of people on your team –

indeed there is a prize for the most people in attendance at

a single survey/trapping event. However we do need one

person to act as Team Leader, who will be responsible for

submitting records and collating your results at the end of

the challenge period. This person will also be the contact

for our UMoC co-ordinator at Butterfly Conservation.

There is no entry fee for UMC, but we do require that at

least one member of the team is a member of Butterfly

Conservation. In 2019 we are offering a fantastic offer for

UMoC entrants – FREE one year membership to Butterfly

Conservation. You will be issued with a special code when

you register your team with us.

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UNIVERSITY MOTH CHALLENGE www.butterfly-conservation.org

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5.0 What will you need?

BC has produced a Moth Recorder’s Handbook which

gives detailed information on all aspects of moth

trapping and recording. Please download the handbook:

www.mothscount.org/uploads/Moth_Recorders_Handbo

ok_2009.pdf for all the information you will need and

more. The Handbook is essential reading for anyone

wishing to take part in University Moth Challenge.

For a quick ‘at-a glance’ guide to what you need to get

started, here’s a summary:

A moth trap. This is the best way to survey moths

and there are a wide range of traps available

from home-made affairs through to pretty

expensive bits of kit. See the Handbook for the

details. You can still take part in UMC without a

trap (again, the handbook lists some methods to

try) but a trap of some description will pretty much

guarantee you will see some moths!

A good ID guide. Please refer to the Handbook

for a list of suggested guides for beginners. A

favourite at BC HQ is Field Guide to the Moths of

Great Britain and Ireland, Waring & Townsend

(2017), Bloomsbury Natural History. The BC

website https://butterfly-

conservation.org/moths/identify-a-moth is also full

of help and advice in identifying moths.

Sample Pots – essential for closer inspection of

your catch

Before you start your challenge it is essential

that you read section 3.2 of the Moth

Recorder’s Handbook which gives important

moth trapping tips including how to ensure

the welfare of the moths you catch/observe

and best practice for handling and releasing

them afterwards.

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UNIVERSITY MOTH CHALLENGE www.butterfly-conservation.org

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6.0 Local moth groups & County Recorders

You may have an experienced ‘Moth-er’ (yes, that’s

an official term) on your team, or you may be a bunch

of complete beginners. Either way, it’s a good idea to

make contact with your Local Moth Group and/or

County Moth Recorder. They will be a great source of

expertise and advice, and if you are lucky, a potential

moth-trap loan! Moth groups also often hold events

for the public to attend and so are great starting points

for your challenge. You can find a list of County Moth

Recorders on the BC website: https://butterfly-

conservation.org/moths/county-moth-recorders

7.0 When to record

University Moth Challenge runs from 1st April to July

31st and you can collect records any time during this

window. The summer months are typically the best

months for surveying moths, when you are likely to

find the highest abundance and diversity of species.

The highest catches are on mild, cloudy, still nights

with no moon. Fewer moths fly when there is a full

moon. Steady drizzle will often improve catches, but

heavy rain and strong wind is best avoided. Day-flying

moths are best observed on sunny, still days.

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UNIVERSITY MOTH CHALLENGE www.butterfly-conservation.org

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7.0 Where to record

University Moth Challenge qualifying surveys/records

may take place on or off your university campus. You

can count opportunistic sightings by team members as

well as records generated by more organised survey

events – you just need to ensure that you record the

required information (see section 10.0). Many moths

are day-flying, so always be prepared with a notepad

and pencil to record sightings when you are out and

about.

For trapping, gardens are a good place to start, or the

‘greener’ areas of your campus. You may be limited by

the equipment you have – access to a portable power

source (e.g. car battery or generator) will mean you

can explore far and wide and trap in a variety of

different habitats. Again, the Handbook has information

on the options for portable traps.

Whatever you do, please make sure you have

permission from the relevant person/landowner

before running a moth trap and be prepared to

explain yourselves to people passing by if you are

in a public space! Beware of leaving moth trapping

equipment unattended at night unless it is in a

secure place.

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UNIVERSITY MOTH CHALLENGE www.butterfly-conservation.org

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9.0 Health & Safety

Moth trapping is a safe activity; however, there are a

couple of things you should consider. You should

make sure that your trap and electrical equipment is

in good working order and that you use waterproof

connectors. You should avoid looking directly at

mercury vapour lamps, because the ultra violet light

emitted can damage your eyes in the longer term. On

rare occasions MV light bulbs may crack if they are

damaged, or if rain falls on a hot bulb. We

recommend you use a bulb guard and a rain guard to

minimise the potential of this happening. It is not only

moths that are attracted to light, biting and stinging

insects such as mosquitoes, midges, hornets, wasps

and bees can often turn up in your trap.

Please do not run a moth trap in a public space by

yourself. Always do this as a group and be sensible

about where you decide to trap. Ensure at least one

member of the group has a charged mobile phone.

Teams should not put themselves in a position that

could place them, or others, in danger. AFoN and

Butterfly Conservation take no responsibility or liability

for any actions and/or consequences which may arise

from the activities of surveyors whilst taking part in

University Moth Challenge.

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UNIVERSITY MOTH CHALLENGE www.butterfly-conservation.org

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10.0 Submitting your data

We would like all records to be submitted via the National

Moth Recording Scheme (NMRS). Launched in 2007, the

National Moth Recording Scheme (NMRS) has already

collated over 20 million current and historical sightings

(records) of all macro-moths (larger moths) across the UK,

Isle of Man and Channel Islands.

The scheme covers some 900 species, with thousands of

active recorders, and the enormous dataset of distribution

records that is has generated is benefiting nature

conservation, public understanding and ecological research.

We suggest you spend some time familiarising yourself

with the NMRS system and the information you will

need to record. You might like to prepare a recording

sheet to ensure you capture the information needed to

make a record.

Step 1: spot and identify your moth.

Step 2: write down the essential details to make

a record.

Step 3: use the NMRS online recording system

www.mothrecording.org to submit your records. You

will need to register first but it is a quick and easy

online process.

The final stage is to complete the summary sheet at the end

of this Challenge Pack (take a look now to see what

information we need!) and send this in to the UMOC Co-

ordinator umoc@butterfly-consrervation.org who will

announce the winners in September 2019!

Caterpillars Count!

Records of moth caterpillars can also be recorded and

count towards your total species total.

Sightings of caterpillars (larvae) are just as important to

the National Moth Recording Scheme as records of adult

moths. Indeed, caterpillars provide direct evidence that a

species is breeding at a site, so such records can be very

important.

www.mothscount.org/text/33/recording_caterpillars.html

has some great tips for surveying for caterpillars.

What about micro-moths?

As there are so many species of moths, experts split

them into two groups, the larger (or macro-) moths and

the smaller (or micro-) moths. There are around 900

macro-moths in Britain. Many micro-moths are very small

indeed, although confusingly a few of them are larger

than the smallest macro-moths!

Records for both macro and micro moths can be

submitted to University Moth Challenge (and the NMRS).

Although micro-moths are often thought of as best left to

the experts, many micro-moths are distinctive and can be

readily identified even by novice moth recorders so why

not give them a go?

We recommend Field Guide to the Micro moths of

Great Britain and Ireland, Sterling & Parsons (2018),

Bloomsbury Publishing.

UNIVERSITY MOTH CHALLENGE www.butterfly-conservation.org

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11.0 I’m sold. What next?

If you would like to join in this year’s prestigious

University Moth Challenge then please email the BC

UMOC coordinator at umoc@butterfly-conservation.org

with the following information:

The Team Leader’s name and contact details

Your Team’s University/College

Your Team Name

You will then be sent a special code which will allow you

to use our fantastic one year free membership offer.

Please note that at the end of the year you can end your

membership with BC or stay with us, taking advantage

of our young person/student membership which is just

£28 per year. Bargain.

HAPPY MOTHING!

Get Social

We want to hear all about your mothing exploits so

please share news of your best finds, progress and top

tips on social media! It’s also a great way to ask for help

with identifying species. Please use the following

handles/hashtags so we can follow you easily and

answer any questions:

@savebutterflies

@AFONature

#unimothchallenge

#TeamMoth

PAUL KIRKLAND

UNIVERSITY MOTH CHALLENGE www.butterfly-conservation.org

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UNIVERSITY MOTH CHALLENGE SUMMARY SHEET 1st April – 31st July 2019

Name of Team Leader:

Team Leader phone number/email address:

Team Name:

University:

Total number of species recorded (please attach

species list):

Total number of individual moths recorded

Highest total number of people taking part in a single

survey/trapping event (please attach a separate list of

names)

Total number of survey/trapping sessions held from

(please attach a separate list of dates)

Signature __________________

Date __________________

Please send your completed forms by 31st August 2019 to umoc@butterfly-conservation.org or by post to University Moth Challenge, Kate Merry, Butterfly

Conservation, Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset BH20 5QP