Trap Network Health helps project managers find traps that may need attention. It groups every active trap as Catching, Not Catching or Not Reporting, based on when it was last checked and whether it has recorded a catch.
Finding traps that need attention
Open your project's Traps tab to find the Trap Network Health bar. This tab is available to project managers. The bar shows the proportion of active traps in each category, alongside a count and percentage such as 16 traps (5.0%).
Select a category or its section of the bar to open the trap table filtered to those traps. For the category definitions, hover over the (i) next to Trap Network Health on a computer, or tap it on a phone.
What each category means
| Category | What it means |
|---|---|
| Catching | Checked within the last 90 days, with a recorded catch in the last 365 days |
| Not Catching | Checked within the last 90 days, but no recorded catch in the last 365 days |
| Not Reporting | Last checked more than 90 days ago, or never checked |
Every active trap belongs to one category. TrapScan checks for Not Reporting first, then Not Catching, then Catching. A trap that hasn't been checked for more than 90 days is Not Reporting, regardless of whether it previously caught anything. That lack of recent checking is the first issue to investigate.
A newly installed trap that's never been checked is Not Reporting. After its first check, it is Not Catching until it records a catch. A trap can also be Not Catching after a long period without catches, even while it's being checked regularly. This classification alone doesn't mean the trap is faulty.
What to do about each category
Not Reporting
Find out why checks have stopped being recorded. The trap may still be operating normally, but its recent activity isn't visible in the records.
Not Catching
Review the trap's location, bait and lure to see whether they are still suitable. If you know the trap has been catching, check whether the catches are being recorded. Trap Network Health uses only checks recorded in TrapScan or imported from Trap.nz.
Why the 90-day and 365-day periods?
After 90 days without a recorded check, there's no recent information about what's happening at the trap. Trap.nz uses the same period for its default maintenance threshold.
Trap-nights also uses 90 days, but for a different calculation: it caps the number of trap-nights counted between two checks at 90. The 365-day catch window accounts for seasonal variation: a trap that previously caught something can go through a full seasonal cycle without another catch before moving to Not Catching.
What it counts and when it updates
Trap Network Health updates with the hourly Trap.nz sync. A newly recorded check may therefore take up to an hour to change a trap's category.
Retired traps aren't included in the active network. Their previous checks, catches and trap-nights remain in the project's historical data.
Card Status
A trap's card status is separate from its health category. Use the Card Status filter in the trap table to find traps with or without linked cards. For example, a Catching trap may still show No card.
A linked TrapScan Card lets someone open the trap by scanning its QR code. Without a card, they can still record a check by entering the trap's exact name on the Enter ID page. Unlinking or replacing a card doesn't change the trap's check or catch history.
See Activating TrapScan Cards for how to link a card to a trap.