I’ve found that there is a common misconception that you have to to far away places to collect “good” insects. Perhaps this stems from a lack of appreciation of the absolutely astounding amount of diversity available for surveying “right in your backyard” or perhaps it has something to do with a universal concept of far away places as exotic and wild. Whatever the cause may be, I feel it should be pointed out that entomology is something that can be practiced anywhere, at anytime, by anyone.
One of the greatest ways I’ve found to convey the “right in your own backyard” idea is a contraption called a light sheet. The name pretty much describes it: its a light and a sheet.
You can spend a few hundred bucks and get some really fancy gear, but you can also construct one of these out of a bit of rope, a white sheet, and any UV or fluorescent light.
You can get some really great things at light sheets. Thursday’s trip to Pine Grove Mills resulted in two large prionine cerambycids and my first encounter with live specimens of a genus I’m particularly interested in, Phyllobaenus (I’d like to have photos of these, but the microscope-mounted camera in the lab currently refuses to allow me).
Here are a few additional tips to make your collecting a bit more fruitful:
The first rule of light trapping: Don’t touch the sheet— rustling the sheet can scare off specimens that others may be trying to collect (The lepidopterists are very picky about this one.)
Use a second sheet— some things don’t just land on the sheet daintily, but ram into it and tumble to the ground with a splat. A ground sheet helps to locate them and prevent hours of scratching about in the dirt.
Things fly in waves— just because your seeing the same thing over and over doesn’t mean it’s time to call it quits. Fifteen minutes later your liable to see a completely different set of bugs. Also, don’t let your guard down if you’re getting a large swarm of one thing at your sheet: ofttimes, in the middle of that big pile of a single species of soldier beetle are one or two really interesting soldier beetle mimics.
Use tools— A head lamp and an aspirator can be valuable tools for light trap collecting.
Check the trees— many things will fly in near to the light, but light a little ways off. Check surrounding foliage for stragglers and give tall saplings a good shake to dislodge their more lofty inhabitants.
Avoid moth-in-the-face syndrome— when disassembling your set up for the night, first shake out the sheet, turn off your headlamp, then turn off the light. Rearrangement of these steps usually results in every insect at the sheet simultaneously attacking your headlamp.
A light sheet is not only a great means to collect, it also provides an excellent opportunity to commune with labmates, friends, and family. It’s an opportunity to chat about school, work, entomology, or anything else that might be on your mind. It’s a reason to spend a bit of time outside enjoying the nature and developing a better understanding of the insect-world in which we live.