Comparisons between standard incandescent New Jersey and modified ultraviolet New Jersey light traps were made. Both trap types collected the same proportions of males, nulliparous, parous empty, gravid and blood engorged female Culicoides variipennis. Although both traps were highly attractive to females that had taken at least one blood meal, the black light trap collected ca. 10-fold more parous empty and gravid flies than the incandescent and would therefore be recommended for use in trapping C. variipennis for virus assay.