Fact Sheet Collecting insects
There are many methods for collecting insects, most
of which involve simple apparatus and can be done by
amateur collectors.
The key to successful collecting is the right timing.
Insect collecting is a seasonal business and the best
time is during the warmer months from September to
April.
Where you look for insects depends on the types of
insects you wish to catch.
• flowers for bees and butterflies
• freshwater ponds and streams for
dragonflies, caddis flies and may flies
• cow paddocks for dung beetles
• leaf litter for slaters and ants.
Methods of collecting insects:
Berlese funnels
These are devices to drive insects and other
arthropods out of samples of leaf litter. They work by
spreading the litter on a mesh screen in a large funnel
with a hot electric bulb suspended above the litter. The
combination of heat, light and gradual desiccation
slowly drives the creatures out until they drop into a
container below the funnel. You can make a Berlese
funnel from a plastic soft drink bottle. Cut the bottom
off and turn the bottle upside down. Place a circle of
small wire mesh in the bottle and fill the mesh with leaf
litter. Suspend the funnel over a container of water
with a squirt of detergent in it. Place an electric light
bulb above the leaf litter. The heat will cause the
insects to drop into the water.
An example of leaf litter traps used in a scientific
investigation can be found in the Terrestrial
Invertebrate Status Review of Brisbane.
Flight intercept traps
Many insects fly in a random fashion just above the
forest floor and fall to the ground when they collide
with a vertical object. Flight intercept traps utilize this
behaviour to trap insects. A vertical screen of
transparent plastic, such as transparent kitchen film is
stretched between two stakes and a trough (or row of
ice cream containers) of preservative fluid (propylene
glycol) is arranged below its bottom edge. These traps
work best on a long-term basis but yield surprising
catches of insects not normally caught by other
methods. They are most effective at trapping slow-
flying insects such as beetles, cockroaches and
crickets.
Hand netting
Large flying insects such as butterflies, wasps and
flies can be collected individually by a long handled
insect net. These can also be swept over foliage for
many small insects which rest on foliage and are
difficult to see.
