Just about collecting time!

[CustomNature]

Hey guys, I was just wondering if anyone else has been gearing up over winter for this collecting season?? I finally built myself a sweet mercury vapor light setup and a prototype for an under-water light trap. Next thing on the list is a generator which I'm goint to treat myself to for my b-day. Anyone else rearing to go??? (If you haven't started already..)

 

[Stylopidae]

I've been talking about doing trades on the boards practically since I started. I don't trust heat packs, so I've waited until spring. Now all I have to do is wait until the weather is 80* consistantly.

Should be late May or so.

 

[Dark Raptor]

Yes, this season will be very busy for me. I'm starting two projects in northern and western Poland. In the first place I'm going to install window traps with 3 different pheromones on spruce. I'm going to collect bark beetles (Scolytinae) and insects living in their corridors. The second project is also connected with saproxylic beetles, but I'll try to find rare species living in rottening decidous trees (mostly Quercus, Robinia, Tilia, Salix and Populus).

 

[CustomNature]

Hey Raptor, I have noticed that alot of your photos in the Unusual Insects thread seem to be from an indoor setting, or more specific, in a captive environment. I was just wondering what you're currently rearing as far as insects go?? And even more so, what have you had the most success with if you do rear anything??

 

[Dark Raptor]

I started this thread with insects that I was actually bred. Than I added pics taken outdoor... Now they are mixed

Generally it looks like this:
I collect few specimens, breed them in captivity and than release their offspring in the same place where they were captured.
I succesfully bred many species. Most of them are beetles. My favourite families are:
Tenebrionidae, Silphidae, Cerambycidae, Curculionidae (with Scolytinae subfamily), Scarabaeidae, Cetoniidae, Coccinellidae, Carabidae, Chrysomelidae, Dytiscidae and many more.

I also keep or kept other orders like Neuroptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera, Dictyoptera...
I can't live without animals with 6 legs

 

[lucanidae]

I've been collecting larvae all winter long! It's the best time to go dig through rotting logs and find some sweet Coleoptera and sawflys.

 

[Stylopidae]

I saw a bumblebee the other day. Those usually seem to be an indicator that spring is here to stay IE...no more snow. I should be starting my trips sometime soon.

 

[Malhavoc's]

Gearing up? I've allready started! found a bunch of jumpers and centipedes allready

 

[CustomNature]

Yeah, I've spotted a few things so far as well... nothing worth keeping though. When I said gearing up, I basically meant actual gear for collecting. Below is a pick of the mercury vapor light setup I put together over winter. It might not be as nice as anything from bioquip, but it works just the same. Plus it only cost about $35 instead of $400!! I'm not going to put up a pic of the underwater light trap until I find out if it works or not. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted once I find out.

 

[Dark Raptor]

Great equipment! I'm going to use UV lamps. I hope I'll find something interesting . I'll combine them with pitfall and windows traps. That should work fine.

...but identification will be exhausting, especially insects in pheromone traps. Sometimes you can catch few thousands beetles in one trap! I will use 240 traps during my fieldworks

 

[cacoseraph]

i've been thinking more and more about building a like, multistage tullgren funnel... but i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions about how to power it non-lethally?

i've read mothballs to push the bugs down... but these are going to be pets/breeders and i don't want to poison them, even a tiny bit

http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/site_main.htm?docid=10141&page=2
pics and description of a tullgren funnel

ha, and it suggests using a lightbulb. that would mean bringing the leaf litter back with me, but it's a start

 

[Thoth]

i've been thinking more and more about building a like, multistage tullgren funnel... but i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions about how to power it non-lethally?

i've read mothballs to push the bugs down... but these are going to be pets/breeders and i don't want to poison them, even a tiny bit

http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/site_main.htm?docid=10141&page=2
pics and description of a tullgren funnel

ha, and it suggests using a lightbulb. that would mean bringing the leaf litter back with me, but it's a start

How about a chunk of damp floral foam or sponge as a source of humidity to draw the insects towards the humidity with out drowning them. In the field if you leave it in the sun for a day or two might dry things out enough. Though my experience for tullgreen funnels were very small mite sized creatures.

 

[CustomNature]

Great equipment! I'm going to use UV lamps. I hope I'll find something interesting . I'll combine them with pitfall and windows traps. That should work fine.

Thanks! I'm really excited to get out there and try out the new light. I'm going to give it another week or two as it's still pretty cold here in Pennsylvania. Below is another setup I used late last year, but it was so late into the season that I barely got anything. I'm going to try it again this time around with hopefully better luck. It's a two light setup that I was suggested by a friend of mine...

 

[cacoseraph]

How about a chunk of damp floral foam or sponge as a source of humidity to draw the insects towards the humidity with out drowning them. In the field if you leave it in the sun for a day or two might dry things out enough. Though my experience for tullgreen funnels were very small mite sized creatures.

well i was thinking of one like this


maybe a big shaking powered tullgren

|                                           |
|                                           |    <--- sticks and whole leaves get 
|                                           |              trapped in here
|                                           |
\ ########################################/   <- large space chicken wire
 \                                         /   
  \                                       /   <--- my bugs of interest (scorps and 
   \                                     /            scolo cents, bigger
    \                                   /   		 stuff, like) trapped here
     \ *******************************/  <--- small space screen
      \                              /
	^ little bugs and dust and tiny rocks come out here

i was thinking if the top was a foot or two in diameter i could dump in decent size armfuls of leaf litter and "process" out the larger inverts

i guess i can shake it to get the different size things to filter though the different levels. i'm looking for something fast too

 

[Malhavoc's]

Caco, Get a sheet, lay it out, pick up leaves, toss leaves in middle of sheet, and wait, in the day bugs wil lcoem running out to look for hides *just poke it a few times* if at night have a light ready for the wandering bugs to show up on the sheet.

 

[galeogirl]

I'm hoping to collect some beetles and/or waterbugs this year. I haven't been out collecting in far too long.

 

[Peter_Parker]

we just went camping out in one of the metro parks last weekend and I already got a ton of stuff just looking through the rotten logs in the forest. beetle larvae and hornet queens abound!

 

[CustomNature]

I'm hoping to collect some beetles and/or waterbugs this year. I haven't been out collecting in far too long.

I hear you gale, that's exactly what my goal is this season. Hopefully the new light trap will bring in some beetles which is what I'm mainly after. Like I said though, for the waterbugs I made an underwater light trap that I'm not totally sure if it will work or not. If it does, I'll post it up on here and explain how it was made. I'm looking to catch some toe-biters and waterscorpions mostly. As well as any diving beetles and dragonfly larvae. Wish me luck!

 

[Uncle Manny]

Great choice of picture

The image of other people's President is in the best taste and I laud your choice. You are right on with this one!

Yes, we in the Southwest (AZ) are awaiting the summer monsoon season to initiate invertebrate and verterate emergence.

Good luck with your "bug light"

Uncle Manny

 

[ChineseDragon]

Gearing up? I've allready started! found a bunch of jumpers and centipedes allready

What centipedes did you find? The common stone centipedes? I got myself 2 of those about an inch each and I managed to catch an assassin bug =).