17 replies to this topic

[MjNorthstar]

I have some opportunities over the next month or so to do some imaging away from home but it happens to be next to a lake.  This particular spot has a clear view of the Rho Ophiuchi complex and it will be highest in the sky next month.  Unfortunately, this time of year there are swarms... and I mean SWARMS... of mayflies and soon to be mosquitoes.  I'm wondering if anyone has practical ways of keeping the lens clear of bugs.  The only thing I can come up with is to put a box fan nearby blowing towards the gear.  Otherwise I thought maybe a small fan from a PC could be mounted near the end of the lens.  Either way I know there will be added vibrations which I'm sure have some of you yelling at your screen right now. (btw I'm using an AM5N mount which I've heard does well in wind)

 

I'd just like to come up with some options beforehand since my time there will be limited.

Thanks

[Andros246]

You got a flame thrower?

[TOMDEY]

Bats... Honestly, bats. I keep a few living in my dome and they clear the observing fields of mosquitoes quite efficiently. Flapper is tame and he (and his offspring) accept treats (meal worms) hand-fed. Bats are actually quite nice pets.    Tom

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[ShaulaB]

I have read that scented laundry dryer sheets can repel insects. Some folks stuff them in their hat bands for this purpose. Be careful not to get residue on the glass lens.

[Notdarkenough]

Wind is the only choice I know of. Maybe a stinky candle or some leftover food 100yrds away? That will cause other problems, however. Possibly a tiki torch behind and shielded? More other problems. You might try a few trips of old t-shirt sprayed with DEET hanging around your gear. Honestly, different bugs in different locations at different distances from water all act different. Best solution is find a different location, even if just within walking distance. If your rig is portable, 200 yards can be significant for bugs sometimes. 

[kgb]

Looks like Tom has some bats in the belfry! I have been trying to attract bats for years. Apparently, they have abandoned my area…nary a one.

[Zambiadarkskies]

I doubt the bugs will actually effect your imaging.  Here in Zambia we are at the end of the rains/beginning of the dry season.  Insane humidity and insect life is off the charts. Just being at my scope can be incredibly unpleasant.  The other night on my scope monitoring camera (one of those amazing see in the dark wyze security cams) the amount of insects visible was unbelievable.  But none of the swarms were affecting my images.  For a long exposure to be affected would be unlikely - a tiny dark object flitting across the field of view briefly.  Even loads of them would really not be that much of an issue as I see it.  

[Jkaiser3000]

If you want to keep bugs off the front lens maybe a mosquito net covering it would be easier? 

 

of course that’s a joke but no one mentioned the ability to observe or image through the scope so… 

 

now seriously, like Gilmour mentioned, the bugs may not be a problem for imaging or observing, but they may be a nuisance for you so the mosquito net might be a good option for you if you’ll be sitting next to the scope. Just remember to cover yourself and not the scope’s front lens

[stargazer-wilson]

i like the bats idea and I once installed a bat house to attract them, but to avail.  inside my 16x10 observatory i have installed on the top half of the walls T&G aromatic cedar which has been quite effective at keeping chronic problems at bay. Sadly, my dog doesn’t care for it and stays outside the door. i also have two wall fans for when i am on site.   Mosquitos hate any sort of breeze.   in the field, i have never had so many that i feared impact on photography, just impact on myself. -Stargazer

[Zambiadarkskies]

Bats... Honestly, bats. I keep a few living in my dome and they clear the observing fields of mosquitoes quite efficiently. Flapper is tame and he (and his offspring) accept treats (meal worms) hand-fed. Bats are actually quite nice pets.    Tom

I am impressed.  Seriously.  That scope and hand feeding bats. Amazing.  I do have to ask though - battery change on the Telrad.... How?  

[TOMDEY]

I am impressed.  Seriously.  That scope and hand feeding bats. Amazing.  I do have to ask though - battery change on the Telrad.... How?  

Cold Fusion > I built that into the Telrad as sort of a hobby thing a few decades ago, just for the fun of it. It runs continuously on a single Millikan-sized drip of whale oil for a few millennia. I was considering patenting it, but just never got around to it. My somewhat larger blubber-fusion power supply can supply all of mankind's energy needs for a few generations. I hid that in cigar box over a decade ago, so no melomaniac finds it and takes over the Universe. Oops! Gota go now...    Tom

 

[Here Tom takes the glowing cigar box box from the closet and hides it in another closet.]

[dcbrown73]

The bats don't create a guano problem?      Those aren't dust motes!

[LiquidMan]

I agree with ZambiaDarkSkies, I wouldn't worry about bugs effecting your images. I've imaged in the Florida Everglades several times, which is a literal swamp, and have never had the actual cloud like swarms of bugs out there (mainly mosquitos) effect my images.

 

However, do be careful about the camera's cooling fan! After a few trips, the fan on my old ASI294MC Pro sucked in and chopped up so many mosquitos that the fan motor got clogged with them and stopped spinning.. Had to be replaced. Cheap and simple thankfully, but just something to keep in mind!

 

Maybe something like a hairnet at the back of the camera would protect the fan and help prevent that?

[Zambiadarkskies]

I agree with ZambiaDarkSkies, I wouldn't worry about bugs effecting your images. I've imaged in the Florida Everglades several times, which is a literal swamp, and have never had the actual cloud like swarms of bugs out there (mainly mosquitos) effect my images.

 

However, do be careful about the camera's cooling fan! After a few trips, the fan on my old ASI294MC Pro sucked in and chopped up so many mosquitos that the fan motor got clogged with them and stopped spinning.. Had to be replaced. Cheap and simple thankfully, but just something to keep in mind!

 

Maybe something like a hairnet at the back of the camera would protect the fan and help prevent that?

That is very true.  My 533 has more than a few dead bugs in.  For a lot of electronics here we put shade cloth around the vents.  Mud wasps being another one.   I should really do my 2600, make up a bit of a shade net sock - thanks for the reminder!  

[MjNorthstar]

Wind is the only choice I know of. Maybe a stinky candle or some leftover food 100yrds away? That will cause other problems, however. Possibly a tiki torch behind and shielded? More other problems. You might try a few trips of old t-shirt sprayed with DEET hanging around your gear. Honestly, different bugs in different locations at different distances from water all act different. Best solution is find a different location, even if just within walking distance. If your rig is portable, 200 yards can be significant for bugs sometimes. 

Unfortunately it's not portable and I need an extension cord. Also, if I go any further away there is a highway that I wouldn't be able to cross.  I like the idea of DEET on a rag.

Maybe saran wrap around the scope and the rag wrapped around that could help.

 

 

I doubt the bugs will actually effect your imaging.  Here in Zambia we are at the end of the rains/beginning of the dry season.  Insane humidity and insect life is off the charts. Just being at my scope can be incredibly unpleasant.  The other night on my scope monitoring camera (one of those amazing see in the dark wyze security cams) the amount of insects visible was unbelievable.  But none of the swarms were affecting my images.  For a long exposure to be affected would be unlikely - a tiny dark object flitting across the field of view briefly.  Even loads of them would really not be that much of an issue as I see it. 

I agree with ZambiaDarkSkies, I wouldn't worry about bugs effecting your images. I've imaged in the Florida Everglades several times, which is a literal swamp, and have never had the actual cloud like swarms of bugs out there (mainly mosquitos) effect my images.

 

However, do be careful about the camera's cooling fan! After a few trips, the fan on my old ASI294MC Pro sucked in and chopped up so many mosquitos that the fan motor got clogged with them and stopped spinning.. Had to be replaced. Cheap and simple thankfully, but just something to keep in mind!

 

Maybe something like a hairnet at the back of the camera would protect the fan and help prevent that?

I'm guessing that if you can get decent images in Zambia and the Everglades, I should be ok next to a lake.  My thought about putting up a fan was to try to stop them from landing and sitting on the lens itself.  That, I believe, would be noticeable in the final images.  I'm still using my mirrorless for now so I won't have to worry about mosquitoes in the cooling fan.  I'll be getting an astro camera soon though (still debating between buying on the secondary market vs. waiting to see what happens when the new ones are in stock again), so a mosquito net is something I'll keep in mind.

 

Thanks for you feedback

[TOMDEY]

The bats don't create a guano problem?      Those aren't dust motes!

Not nearly as much as bulls and astronomers.    Tom

[matt_astro_tx]

I find that applying a thin layer of DEET spray directly to the surface of the objective keeps it bug free all night long. In unrelated news I am having issues reaching focus… 

[TDPerry]

For a lot of electronics here we put shade cloth around the vents.  Mud wasps being another one.   I should really do my 2600, make up a bit of a shade net sock - thanks for the reminder!  

One of the good things to use... old used sheer pantyhose.  They allow the air flow to pass better than most things I've tried and is non-abrasive to the shell and it's almost impossible for most bugs to get through.

I even use old ones cut down in the RV heater vents in the floor to keep trash from falling into the vents.

Edited by TDPerry, 17 May 2025 - 02:32 AM.