Collecting and Preserving

Collecting and Preserving Insects and Mitesinsects and mites to enter. A piece of bark, wood, or flatstone will serve this purpose. Pitfall traps may be baitedwith various substances, depending on the kind of insectsor mites the collector hopes to capture. Although most thatfall into the trap will remain there, it should be inspecteddaily, if possible, and desired specimens removed andplaced in alcohol or in a killing bottle while they are intheir best condition.Also in the pitfall category is the cereal dish trap,which is a simple but effective device for obtaining insectsattracted to dung. It consists of a small dish, preferablyFig. 9. Malaise trap.1.10.4 Malaise TrapsOne of the most widely used insect traps wasdeveloped by the Swedish entomologist René Malaise andthat now bears his name. Several modifications of hisoriginal design have been published, and at least one isavailable commercially. The trap, as originally designed,consists of a vertical net serving as a baffle, end nets, and asloping canopy leading up to a collecting device (fig. 9).The collecting device may be a jar with either a solid orevaporating killing agent or a liquid in which the insectsdrown. The original design is unidirectional or bidirectionalwith the baffle in the middle, but more recent typesinclude a nondirectional type with cross baffles and withthe collecting device in the center. Malaise traps have beenphenomenally successful, sometimes collecting largenumbers of species that could not be obtained otherwise.Attractants may be used to increase the efficiency of thetraps for special purposes.References: Butler 1966; Townes 1972; Steyskal1981 (bibliography).1.10.5 Pitfall and Dish TrapsAnother simple but very effective and useful type ofinterception trap consists of a jar, can, or dish sunk in theearth (fig. 10). A cover must be placed over the open top ofthe jar to exclude rain and small vertebrates while allowingFigs. 10-11. 10, Pitfall Trap (Top). 11, CerealDish Trap (Bottom).14