It’s not all hard work here at RSPB Coombes Valley. We occasionally let our hair down - just last week we let a few of our residents kick back with a bottle of wine in the top meadow.
They weren’t our residential volunteers taking in the stunning views with a glass of vino though, they were some of our moths feeding on wine ropes!
Wine ropes are a very simple way of attracting moths so you can get a look at them up close, and they are exactly what they sound like; pieces of rope dipped in a solution of wine and sugar.
Hang them outside and moths will be attracted to the sweet scent. To them it‘s very similar to their natural food sources of nectar and rotting fruit. Mmmmm too good to resist!
Once they’re enraptured by the wine ropes, torch light allows you to see them busily feeding away.
If you would like to try this for yourselves, here is the recipe we used.
1 bottle of wine (the moths don’t mind the cheap stuff)
1Kg of brown sugar
1 tin (450g) of black treacle
Several pieces of string
It might be best to find an old pan for this, just in case it stains. Children will certainly need the help of an adult; just don’t let them drink all the wine!
Empty the wine into the pan and dissolve in the sugar and treacle over a low heat. Be very careful though, the solution does get incredibly hot.
When your concoction has cooled, pour it into empty bottles. With all that sugar in, it won’t all fit back into the wine bottle, so you will need to find an extra one somewhere...I think an adult could help with this bit too!
Wait until dusk and dip the pieces of string (we used shoe laces) into the mixture and peg them out in the garden. You can peg them from the washing line, just don’t get the mixture on there though, it WILL stain you’re clothes when you next do some washing! Alternatively, you can peg them from low tree branches.
Then simply check your wine ropes through the night to see any moths that have come for a free feast. Take the ropes down in the morning and give them a wash, ready to be used again.
Results may vary depending on a variety of factors: other available food sources, type of wine used, weather conditions, etc. So don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t work too well, just try it again on another night - one batch makes more than enough for several attempts.
If you have a go at wine ropes, please share your stories and pictures on our Facebook page. We would love to see how you got on.
You can also see our wine ropes in action again on our next Bat and Moth guided walk, happening on Friday 22nd August. Click the link for more details http://www.rspb.org.uk/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-380002