FL10103

(ENTOMOLOGY)

PRACTICAL 1: INSECT COLLECTION AND

NAME:
MOHD KHAIRUL IKHWAN BIN AB RAHIM

GROUP:
GROUP A2 (Pit-Fall Trap)

MATRIC NUMBER:
BS19160597

DATE:
12TH NOVEMBER 2019

LECTURER’S NAME:
DR. MARIA LOURDES T. LARDIZABAL
PRACTICAL 1

TITLE: INSECT COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION

OBJECTIVES:

1. To learn types of basic equipment needed to capture insect in the field.

Introduction

There are various reasons to preserve and collect insects. One of them is for
identifications of insects. Identification of insects is a specialty within Entomology based on
studies by taxonomists that describe species or groups of species (e.g., families, orders,
genera, etc.). Through collection and preservation efforts, new species are found and
described but there are many undescribed insects remain in the world. Properly preserved
and stored insect specimens can be enjoyed and studied for hundreds of years while most
insects live only for a period of days to months before they die and decompose. Specimens
in museums, along with the data provided on the specimen labels constitute an historic
record of biological diversity and can be used to document changes in distribution and
abundance of species over time. Some museums contain specimens of now-extinct insect
species. During the exercise of collecting insects, collectors learn about relationships
between insects and their environment, the importance of habitat, keys to species survival,
and the relationships between species groups such as hosts, predators and parasites, i.e.,
trophic levels. Closer inspection of predaceous insects, for instance, reveal adaptive features
enabling those species or groups or species to capture prey or what features allow a
Walkingstick to mimic a twig. By these, we can know how they interact with the nature.
Besides that, studying each body parts of the insects can be crucial in order to understand
what they really do since these insects brings a lot of benefits to our nature.

Materials and Apparatus

Basic equipment needed for insect collection:

1. Insect net
2. Killing jar
 3. Paper envelopes
4. Zip-lock bags/Clear container
5. Insect collection jar.
6. Killing chemicals (ethyl acetate)
7. Forceps
8. Insect pins
9. Pinning block
10. Polystyrene
11. Collection box
12. Glass vials (for small specimens)
13. Pit-fall trap
14. Bait
15. Cloth/Gauze
16. Tap water

Methodology

1. This was being done in groups. The bait covered with cloth/gauze was placed at the
pin located under the roof of the trap. Then, a bit of detergent was put inside the
cup and tap water was poured until the cup was half-filled.
2. As in the diagram, the trap was set-up.
3. The bait and the water inside the trap were changed daily. The animals trapped
were calculated and classified as insects and non-insects. All of them were stored
inside a bottle containing 70% of ethyl alcohol. This step was repeated for three
consecutive days.
4. The observations were recorded.
Results

No. Day Insects Non-insects

01. 1 91 21

02. 2 7 1

03. 3 193 0

Total 291 22

Table 1: The number of insects and non-insects in three consecutive days.

Discussions

The result we got is due to the usage of pitfall trap. A pitfall trap is a device used to
trap insects that are active on the ground surface. Pitfall traps usually consist of a beaker
that is buried so that the lip of the beaker is level with the ground surface. The trap is then
left, and the entomologist returns to it later to inspect 'the catch'. Insects reaching the lip of
the beaker slip and fall in and are then unable to climb back out. Sometimes alcohol or
another substance is poured into the trap so that any insects falling in are killed. The
thinking behind this is that predatory insects falling into the trap will eat the rest of the
catch. Pitfall traps are often used as a passive sampling technique to assess biodiversity in
an area. In this case, there insects, which most of them were ants, the are very useful to
the soil. They’re tiny roto­tillers. Tunnelling ants turn over as much soil as earthworms do,
aerating the soil and redistributing nutrients. Ants are also part of the world recycling crew:
acting as scavengers, collecting dead insects and turning them into fertilizer for your soil.
[Fine Gardening, 2019]. Not only that, there also help to disperse seeds. Ant-dispersed
seeds, like those of Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria), have specialist attractants
called elaiosomes, or “fat bodies,” that are rich in lipids. Ants collect seeds with elaiosomes,
take them back to the nest, feed the elaiosomes to their larvae, and discard the undamaged
seed on the nest’s waste heap. The seeds are removed from competition with neighbours,
protected from seed predators, and “planted” in the nutrient-rich environment of the ant-
waste heap. These insects also can act as a pest control. For instance, in this case which
ants are having the upper hand, they ate the eggs of the ladybeetles and green lacewings.
Since the roof of the pitfall trap was too close to the ground, only small insects managed to
fell into the trap. The water was mixed with a bit of detergent is for breaking the water
surface tension since some insects were too light and their mass is not enough to break the
surface tension of the water. It also acts to kill the insects. Make sure the lip of the cup was
level with the surface of the hole. If the cup is slightly higher than the ground, some insects
will not fell into the trap.

Conclusion

The total insects are 291 and non-insects are 22 in those three days of setting up the
trap. This conclude that the area has many insects and non-insects in a small area. These
numbers bring out positive effects to the soil and the surrounding vegetations as these
insects can act as decomposers, pollinators, biological controllers and etc.
References

1. Drees B. M., Jackman J. A. (1998). Field Life To Common Texas Insects. Gulf
Publishing Company. Houston, Texas, USA.
2. University Of Nebraska-Lincoln. (Nov 16, 2019). Retrieved from URL:
https://bughunter.tamu.edu/tenreasons/
3. Fine Gardening. (Nov 16, 2019). Retrieved from URL:
https://www.finegardening.com/article/ants-arent-your-enemy
4. Tower Garden by Juice Plus. (Nov 16, 2019). Retrieved from URL:
https://www.finegardening.com/article/ants-arent-your-enemy