Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Creating habitat THE BUGSLUGGER HAS ARRIVED

ups delivered my bugsluggers today i bought 2 cause they were so darn cheap. i bought the 12 volt model
i will be using a solar setup with a 12v battery. i have one panel and i need one more plus the controller/charger. i will be updating this thread
when i start installing at my pond next week. here are some pics of the bug slugger.its a pretty nice setup for only 30.00.

Is it light enough to hang on a long branch or cane pole?
How long is the cord?
This one uses the 12V automotive bulbs, right? I think the LED replacements for the filament-type 1157 bulbs will be much brighter.
They aren't cheap, though, compared to the traditional bulb.

i just weighted it and its 1 Lb 5oz i think the cord is 12 foot. yes it uses the 1157 bulbs i was thinking of trying the led bulbs also it would be less current draw. i was going to try to retrofit it
with a floursent bulb but i think i will try the leds first.

Please give us as many pictures and details as possible. I have one of these I got about three weeks ago that I have sitting in my shop waiting to be installed when my dock is done.

I will let you mount yours first so that I don't make the same mistakes.

I just bought one. I'm interested in the solar idea, long term. For fishing now, with a 12 foot cord and that light of weight, I can use a marine battery, and a cane pole held to the pier with a couple of bent over nails to secure the pole. A 4x4 block or a piece of landscape timber should give me the right angle. kewl!

I'll figure out how to get some use out of duct tape and bailing twine, too.

Really?? Only 30 bucks?

Is this the same one you got, NEDOC?

wickedinhere,

Looking forward to your results with solar. It would be interesting to know how much operating time you can get per 24 hours out of the unit. What size(watts) are the two solar panels?

Thanks for posting your results.

Is this unit set up or can it be to just run at night? Can't wait for more info once you set it up.

Bruce - I got mine for 39.95. I should have it on my dock as soon as I fill the pond up.

Although I may run electricity to my dock now and buy and electrical unit and put this on the other side of the pond.

I will let you know how it works. This would be PERFECT for your perch pond.


PS That is exactly the unit I purchased.

Also - Bruce, I may not use mine at all and sell it to you if you are interested. I was kind of interested in tinkering with some of the solar/timer units, but we could do that at your place also.

i will be using 2- 15 watt solar panels and i will be using a programable controller/charger. i am gonna be using 2 inch pipe concreted in the gound
and at the top i will use a 90 degree fitting with about 10 foot of pipe to hang over the pond. that way if i need to work on the bug slugger i will be able to swing the pipe back to me and not have to work out of a boat.the bugslugger draws about 6 amps
but i hope to lower that using some led bulbs that i bought off of ebay. the 2 panels together will put out 2 amps at peak times so i am hoping to get 4-5 hours of run time with the led bulbs. i am gonna start this project monday so i will be updating asap with pictures.

here is the bulb i will be using.

Way to go wicked! I love experiments! Keep us updated!

Wicked - Thanks for the updates! Everytime I read this thread I am like a kid in candy store.

i just order my other panel and controller so the rest of my parts are on the way. i will go to lowes tomorrow and get the pipe and other pieces i need to get started.

Doesn't some types of light attract bugs better than others ?

i think so, but i live out in the sticks and every porch light and security light i have attracts so many bugs its not even funny.

I'm really curious how this unit works for you guys. I built a couple of units like this myself two years ago. Did some experimenting and found that if I wanted to consistently knock bugs into the water I had to use a 3000 rpm motor I think. In order to get a diameter large enough to hit many bugs it ended up being about 1/10 or 1/8 HP (>75 watts) and 18 inch diameter. In order to get enough light I ended up with two of the circular flourescent bulbs that are probably about 30 watts combined. I've seen this stock unit before and wondered if it has the size and power to really collect some food and if so I can't believe it would run long on batteries. The ones I built cost about $40-$50 for parts and a couple hours time and they knock bugs into the water by the thousands.

bz, have you posted a photo of your unit yet?

bz

I would like to see your design as well. I am in the process of making a fan based one with 3000 RPM 12 volt DC DC fan and 23 watt 12 volt compact florescent light bulb.

Frank

I used the bug light advertised in Pond Boss for years and you won't believe the # of bugs it will knock into your pond. The only problem I had was that at time there were so many bugs and given just a little moisture it would clog the fan and I would have to clean out before it would start the fan again. The bream loved it and would stay all night. I was lucky enough to have electricity close to pond so that was not an issue for me. Just wanted to share my experience.

i hope i have the same luck as you have

i got the panel rack built this morning and of course its starting to rain again. here is a pick of the rack and one panel.

I do have some pictures I took and emailed to a few guys a year ago or so. I think someone might have posted them. I can send them again. I thin I also have some plans. Got graduations and father's day this weekend so I won't get to it until next week. Hope all you dads can do some fishin' on father's day.

i got my led lights today but the output was only half that of regular bulbs so i will just be using
the regular bulbs. when it stops raining and dries up a bit i will get started on the install.

wicked

what is this thing you call rain? Sorry to hear the LED did not work out.

BZ I would like to see a picture of your light


Frank

i am loving all this rain another 5 inches and i will be sking in my pond. i would like to see your light also bz

I just learned to post pictures so here goes. If anyone wants some closeups showing more detail of how it's put together I could get some later.

Oooooh BZ...yeah, more pitchers! Do the neighbors complain about the UFO hovering over yer pond? Is that a giant stainless steel salad bowl??? Looks cool!

Here's what we need to build the hanger to swing the slugger over the pond and back to shore for maint.
http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/%7Eweinfurt/gaswelder.html

Yes Mat, that is a giant stainless salad bowl I got from my wife's kitchen. I will get some pictures from all angles so you can kind of see how it is made. The light is a standard kitchen light fixture from Home Depot that has two circular flourescent bulbs. The bowl has to be large enough for the light to fit inside. It's held in by the two carriage bolts and wing nuts you see at sticking out of the top. The motor and arbor on the motor shaft were purchased from Grainger as was the fan blade that you cannot see inside the galvanized shroud. I wanted a weatherproof motor so I used an enclosed unit that requires some cooling air flow around it, hence the fan shroud with a fan blade on the motor shaft. The fan shroud is 6 inch round heat duct attached to the motor mounting studs with a bracket. The thing that does the "slugging" is heavy weed trimmer line. I had to experiment with fan size and length of trimmer line that would work with this motor allowing it to stay cool but maximize the diameter of the spinning line to get as many bugs as possible. I think I have all the Grainger part numbers if anyone is interested who would like to duplicate these. When I get some more picturs I'll include more info. I have a swinging boom that fits over the pipe used for the legs of my dock. I can swing it in for maintenance. The only maintenance required so far is once a week to clean the trimmer line because it gets a buildup of bug guts on it. This unit has enough power to take down anything as big as a June bug yet will only injure most bugs so they still wiggle when in the water. I've found that mostly the small fish will feed at night under these. It's actually quite enjoyable to sit out at night and watch the bugs fly and the fish scoop them up. It will throw a pattern of bugs in about a 10 foot circle.

do you have any pics to show how its mounted on the pond bank?

Where did you get them from?

COMPLIMENTS OF NEDOC



CHARGER--ON SALE AT SEARS FOR 39.95, REGULARLY 64 BUCKS!



CHARGER HIDDEN UNDER A TOTE



ILLUMINATED!!!!





KILLING BUGGIES WITHIN 30 SECONDS OF OPERATION. HOOKED IT UP TO A TWO DOLLAR WALMART CHRISTMAS LIGHT TIMER.

that is sweet can you please come and install mine?
i have a styrofoam icechest that i would like to install my solar panels on so that they can float around.i love the t posts.

You could add one of those thermoelectric coolers to it and keep your beer cold.

i have been keeping a secret the reason i bought a 2nd bugslugger is i am gonna install one on my new pond boat.here NOT FOR SALE!

Bruce, the light looks great! Was it knocking a large number of bugs on the water? or did you not get to stick around and find out? The last few nights have been breezy, but Tuesday I noticed large #'s of bugs out. It will be interesting to watch on a calm evening.

Keep us informed how well the hot tub perch like it.

I will be ordering the BoJo light shortly and have my horizontal aeration system in shortly. You will have to come check it out.

What are the pros and cons of this setup compared to buying a Black and Decker 1 or 2 amp charger and using a battery to run the light at night and recharge, during the day?

i sent you a pm

I'll watch tonight when I go out. There were tons of little midges getting knocked in the water within moments of installation, however I'm curioius to see what happens when Mr. Junebug happens by.

I can't believe there were no comments on my tote "artwork"!

I think we're still trying to absorb that Redneck Cruise Ship. I recently got picked on for using my washing machine to hold the ice and beer at a party. Hey, it worked well!

Did you paint that can of Diet Dew yourself? Great job!

I wanted it to look like I was just "off" enough to be unpredictable. Purposely misspelling a word makes people nervous for some reason.

I see. When I misspell, I'm wrong. When YOU misspell, you make people nervous.

'Mile? who's 'Mile?
Nice po' boyz BWS.

sMILE!

I just got back from observing the bugslugger for about fifteen minutes. I noted the following:

1. Approximately two-hundred flying insects from 3-8 mm were flying all about the unit.

2. All bugs flew directly into the light.

3. At least ninety percent of the forays into the light resulted in a successful exit, unharmed.

4. Bugs that exited the light repeatedly attempted to enter the unit.

5. When the bugs hit the whip they were never observed to die. They were lightly injured.

6. Forty to fifty insects were flailing on the water when I left.

7. Being the first calm night since installation I was not surprised that there were not yet any slurping fish.


I'll keep reporting.

They're fun to watch. If you watch for a while you will see that the bugs keep circulating around the light and eventually most of them get hit. The first time I put mine out I came back an hour later and there was about a 10 foot circle where there was only an inch or less between bugs. It took about a week before any fish discovered the night snacks. For some reason I can only get small fish 4 inches or less to feed at night. After running these for several years I've often checked in the morning after a calm night. By daylight I can't find a dead bug floating. I find that my BG will eat even dead bugs floating when early morning light hits. I've also spent time checking the effectiveness of this at different times of night. I've found that here in MN there are a lot of bugs until about midnight and then the number goes way down. Check it out after 2:00 am and you won't see hardly a thing flying. As a result I have mine on a timer and only run them from dusk to 2:00. I found an outdoor digital Xmas light timer that you can program to activate at dusk via light sensor and then run for as many hours as you want. So I just run for 4 hours after dusk.

bz interesting observation about BG being reluctant night feeders. If I recall you have LMB in your pond also. LMB are awesome night feeders and have the sensory advantage over BG at night. This may explain why most BG don't venture far at night. To easy for them to get picked off as a LMB snack. I wonder if locating the bug zapper over or close to some thick cover , like a triangle of xmas trees or weed bed would increase the BG night feeding ?

Bruce - thanks for the info. Update us again in a week or two so we know how the fish are responding.

Ewest - that sounds like a great idea for bluegill. I am planning on hanging mine over the edge of my dock, which has plastic snow fence in a continuous 'S' running from 2x12's underneath of it. The 'S' shape should allow the larger bluegill in the opening of the 'S' and the mesh of the fence should allow the little bluegill some refuge from the big bass.

solar update: i got the 3 inch pvc concreted in the ground yesterday and this morning i installed the rack and the solar panels. instead of a piece of pipe that swings out over the pond to hold the slugger i will be using a 12 foot fishing pole.
i drilled a hole in the side of the pvc pipe where the pole will rest and hang over the pond and can be taken out if need be. i am still waiting on my controller because ups lost it as soon as i get it i can finish this project. here are a few pics.

Very, cool, Wicked. What controller are you getting? Can it be programmed to turn on an off at a predetermined time after sundown? One Co. I talked to said theirs didnt work too good with the amorphous type panels, but better with crystalline. That reminds me, I need to research the diff. I'm sure Meadowlark is following this intensely. He's chomping at the bit to set up for GG.

thanks, i bought the morningstar SunSaver 10L this controller was 70.00 and it has a 10 preset lighting functions so its very flexable. i got it from www.altersystems.com

As Burger says very cool....way cool! And I want one...heck more than one.

Coupled with Bz's observation that most bug activity happens before midnight, a unit that can operate 4 to 5 hours per day may be all that's needed.

Excellent job, Wicked, excellent!

i hope to at least get 4 hours out of it.the controller also has a low voltage disconnect so the battery wont be discharged to much.i have massive amount of bugs here i am also wanting to see if it will take down a june bug.

i got the fishing pole rigged up so i could see how its gonna do. it seems like its gonna work well i am gonna do a test run tonight and see how the slugger knocks the bugs down. i just need about 8-10 foot of water the slugger is sitting way off of the water. anyway here is a pic the hanging wires are only temporary i should have it all done shortly. toooooooooooooo many projects.

here is a night shot, it knocked plenty of bugs down

Which direction are you facing the solar panels? North? I kinda exspected them to be mounted more level but now I am thinking that they wont work as well unless they have more direct sun light, Is that why?

The panels should face south (in the Northern Hemisphere). The optimal tilt angle depends on your latitude. Books and articles on solar energy often give the advice that the tilt should be equal to your latitude, plus 15 degrees in winter, or minus 15 degrees in summer.

If you wanna get more technical and precise, "south" from your compass should be adjusted for the magnetic declination. This corrects for the difference between solar south and magnetic south. In the U.S. this adjustment can be as much as 15 degrees.

See http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/geomag/declination.shtml

Frank

Awesome post Frank, I use the easy way...wait until 2, point them right at it !

they are facing south. i have them on the same angle as the solar panels for my fish feeder and gate opener and they were preset on that angle.

wickidinhere,

A friend has a couple of bug sluggers. Don't know what brand. He said they have nylon monofilament strings. He said they weren't enough medicine for larger insects like june bugs. He also said the string eventually broke in the center. He replaced the nylon monofilament with 1/16" music wire, and the problems were solved.

bodad,
music wire now thats a good idea i will have to try that when the line needs to be replaced.. i dont think mine will will do any damage to a june bug either. you got any pics of your pond?

Here's a pic at ~25% done. It's ~50% done right now.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c394/bobad/Picture007.jpg

that looks nice

Thank you.

Need a few wheelbarrows of free dirt? Like 25000 of them?

sorry i dont need any i had plenty out of my pond hehehe. is it clay?

well still not finished with the solar install. UPS has lost my controller so there is no telling when it will show up hopefully soon so i can give a report on how long this system i put together will run the slugger.

I received my BoJo fishlight yesterday and installed it in about 30 minutes. Works perfectly. Man is it bright!! Its like having a UFO in the yard. haha It was drawing bugs in almost as soon as it kicked on. Within the first 40 minutes I saw a SMB hit a small minnow (BG I think) that was around the light. I will take pictures when I get my camera working and give a better report after the July 4th weekend.

NEDOC, where'd you get the BoJo?

http://www.bo-jofishlight.com/

BTW, after the 2nd night of working, I witnessed nearly a dozen fish at a time around the light. SMB, LMB and BG as well as one catfish. The LMB was nearly 2.5 lbs and eating bugs. It is impressive how these lights work. I can't wait to report back in about a week after the fish get used to it and we get more bugs out.

NEDOC great report. I think you will see a lot of LMB/SMB eating BG/minnows that reflect light at night. We see this a lot where light is placed on bait fish at night. You should see what schooling LMB do to a group of TFS that have a light shined on them. That is why I suggested placing thick brush (like xmas trees) around the light area. Without some protection the BG will become reluctant to use the lighted area.

I finally got some time to go take pictures.
First is a picture of the unit from the bottom. I used a dual bulb kitchen lite fixture that is hung up under a stainless salad bowl. The motor is mounted in the center via the mounting bolts that stick out of both ends of the motor. The fan shroud is nothing more than 6" heat duct with a metal bracket that allows it to be fastened to the motor mounting bolts on the shaft side of the motor. Motor, fan blade, and shaft arbor are from Grainger. I had to drill a hole through the arbor to put the string through.

The next picture shows the unit from the side.

The next pic shows the unit from the top. The bolts sticking out of the bowl are go right through the light fixture housing to hold it into the bowl.

The last picture shows how I hang it from my dock on a swinging boom.

Some of the features of this unit are that it is bright, it has about a 16" whacker, and the fan blowing downward tends to blow any dead bugs around on the surface which makes them look alive. If anyone wants Grainger part numbers to make one I can dig them up.

Wow! bz that is amazing. I wish I had that kind of talent.

On a side note, my SMB are hitting ANYTHING that moves on the surface when the light is on. The more noise it makes the better. The other night we were consuming some Hamms and spilled some in the water and one SMB jumped completely out of the water to hit the bubbles. Of course, it is Hamms, so who wouldn't

what rpm do you suppose the fan motor is turning? It kinda looks like a bathroom exhaust fan or maybe a range hood fan. I like the looks of that and I think I want to get one ready for my pond

Pretty sure this is a 3000 rpm motor. I tried slower motors but they didn't have the speed to consistently knock big bugs down. It is a small fan motor, standard 3.3 diameter, totally enclosed air over type, some small fraction of a HP. Would be best if I got the Grainger part numbers for you and you could look at the specs on their web site. There's a million places you can buy motors just like it. I used a fully enclosed motor because of being more weather and debris tight. You wouldn't believe all the bug parts that fly all over. Being enclosed it requires the cooling fan ($4) to blow air over it. I also had to experiment with the size of motor so it was able to swing a reasonable length weed whip line without overheating. It has automatic thermal reset so if it overheats it will shut down and restart when cool. Only cost around $30. I'll look up all part numbers and get back with info. The motor size, fan blade, and weed whip length need to all be matched for this to work without overheating and still be as low power as possible so if I give you part numbers you can avoid experimentation. I think total cost was about $60 but it's bigger and gets more bugs than most. Very low power draw with small motor and flourescent bulbs. I've got two of these that I've run for 3 years now with no problems other than occasionally cleaning the line when it gets coated thick with bug guts. Despite its speed and power you'd be surprised how many bugs just get injured versus killed. But even the dead ones get eaten.

I finally got my controller and got the battery box mounted and everything wired up. After a couple of days i will let you know what kind of time i am getting out af a charge.here is a pic.

For anyone who wanted part numbers from my bug whacker thing. Sorry took so long but I've been out of town. Refer to my pictures back earlier in this thread. Wicked, that's a wicked setup let us know how it works.

Motor: 1/40 Hp, 3000 rpm Grainger part #4M093
Fan blade, 6 inch dia., Grainger part #5C174
Shaft arbor, 3/8 with 24 RH thread, Grainger part #3ZN04

Total cost $38.00

That was my question. Do LED's attract bugs?

Well i charged my battery up and hooked the controller back up the slugger it comes on for one night and after that the panels will not charge the battery past 12.4 volts no matter what. I checked the angle of my panels and there on the right angle
the controller is working the panels are putting out the right voltage i have no idea whats wrong. I know the battery is good after i charged it the voltage read 13.3 volts. I am thinking the panels are not putting out enough amps the are 15 watts each. Who knows?

The power rating of the panels is of course nominal, the actual output would vary depending on vertical sun angle (as you mentioned), horizontal sun angle (time of day dependent), cloudiness, and air quality.

Perhaps you have mentioned it above, but I would measure the actual output voltage of the panels, best case (bright sunshine, high noon) and again when the sun is low. Since automotive alternators put out 14 volts or so to charge a "12 volt" battery to about 13.5 volts, I would guess your solar panels will have to put out 14+volts under at least the best conditions to fully charge the battery. Does that make any sense?

i am getting 20 volts out of the panels

Theo makes good sense. I feel that the system is running too long; not cutting off and over discharging the batteries. If the controller has a photo sensor to tell it when to come on...charge the batteries, hook up the system, cover up the photo cell to 'fool' the system into thinking it is night and see how long it runs and monitor voltage. I would say the low voltage disconnect is not working, or it is set at too low of a voltage.
BZ, the part #s are good info. That is prety reasonable for Graingers and will save lots of guessing, testing and leg work. Thanks.

There is no photo cell it turns on when the voltage from the panels gets low at dusk. The low voltage disconnect voltage is 11.7 and of course its not adjustable.

Well, Wicked, you may just have to live with it. You are putting about max. 20 amp-hrs. back into the battery on a good bright day. It will get less as the season progresses. You should still get 2 or 3 hrs. out of it a night. That is a pretty good feeding time. Bugs get going good from about 9 til midnight. Re-charge it weekly and get one good all nighter out of it.
It looks to me like the angle is a little low on the panels. Point it at the 11AM sun(actually 10am sun time. You will get all of the morning sun and not directly facing the hot 4-6pm sun.

Afternoons are more often cloudy, also. Notice some roadside blinking signals or speed monitors panels.

I will edit this somewhat. Note the time it turns on. If it is before the bugs get flying good, you may have to point more toward the afternoon sun to maximize the late afternoon exposure, and cause it to kick on later.

I think i am going to scrap the solar powered bugslugger for now. I now have power to the pond and will probably just go that route.

BZ,

I'm really interested in your bug whacker setup that you made. It looks like it would work a lot better than the manufactured ones that can be bought online. Thanks for posting the essential part numbers of your system. I just ordered those parts tonight. The only thing that I'm having trouble finding is the dual bulb light fixture. I found a couple on the internet that would probably work, but they were pretty expensive. Do you know, and if so, could you tell me what light fixture you are using in yours? A part number, or even a name brand would be useful. Thanks for all of the information so far. My buddy and I are both looking forward to building a setup like yours.

Thanks again, I really appreciate it.

I bought my light fixture at Home Depot. It is a plain old dual flourescent kitchen fixture. I don't remember the brand but call Home Depot, Lowes, etc. and ask for a kitchen fixture. That is what it was specifically called. I'm sure I only paid around $20 for it. If you can't find one I can look at the inside of mine where there would no doubt be some company name or something to indicate who made it. The stainless salad bowl can be bought anywhere but make sure to get the light first and measure it so you know what sized bowl to get so the light fits up inside it. There are a few other things you need to modify such as moving the electrical components (starter & ballast) around inside the light fixture to make everything fit. You also need to drill a hole sideways through the arbor so you can stick one piece of line trimmer thru it. Then I used some rubber washers on either side of the line trimmer to cushion it. When you get all your stuff and if you need any more help just look me up here. If you're creative you'll probably figure out how to make it all work but I'd be glad to tell you how I did it. Good luck.

Thanks BZ. This is going to be great. I can't wait to put everything together. I shouldn't have any problems. Once its up and running I'll create a post and give you all the kudos for it .