Methods/Procedures | insects2016

Field Procedure:

1-Using a Trowel, dig a hole bigger than the size of cup on the ground.

2-Place two cups in the hole.

3-Firmly press on the sides of the cup in order to keep it in level with the soil.

4-Pour isopropyl till the first line on cup.

5-Place brackets on the top and place a tile with the field number written on/under it.

6-When resetting the trap, pour the contents of the cup into a jar and note down its field number, date setup and date collected.

7-Clean out the cup and pour isopropyl to reset it

Lab Procedure:

1-Pour all the contents collected from Pitfall trap into a large dish.

2-Place a white paper underneath to get a better contrast.

3-Using either Pipets or tweezers, separate the species and place them in petri dishes.

4- Record the Order name, Common name, and number of individuals found in Invertebrate Biodiversity Data Sheet.(Don’t forget to count the number of individuals found)

5-If you can’t identify a certain specie properly, observe it under a microscope to get a better view.

6-Use the website http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740 or Insect Dichotomous Key(If available) to identify species of insects you’re unaware of.

7-Put the species in the vials and label them with the field number, dates, and species common name.