Got our trap up last week and we’re catching bugs today!
Tag Archives: week 1
Day 1: A Bad Start
When we went out to check the Malaise trap this afternoon, we discovered that the back part of the trap had caved in. It was a disappointment because there were few bugs in the ethanol bottle. We managed to fix the back part of the trap and hopefully in the days to come there will be more bugs caught.
-Simon, Justin and Jordan
Day One at Morning Star!
Today we setup the School Malaise trap for the first time! The setup process was quick and easy, also almost instantly we caught an insect. During the setup we all took notes about the bugs, the trap and the weather. The trap is setup at Morning Star Middle School in the South corner of the field parallel to the fence. By the end of the setup we caught 3 bugs at 21°c with partial clouds. After we came back in we watched a live stream from the University of Guelph in which we learned more about DNA barcoding and got some questions answered. When we returned later in the day with the grade 6 Arts and Technology Program Students to give them a tour of the trap, the bottom of the bottle was covered with captured bugs, some other bugs such as wasp and mosquitos were flying in the bottle not yet caught. We hope that we continue collecting lots of insects and hopefully find an insect not yet DNA Barcoded!
And so it begins…
Day 1 of the Malaise Trap:
What a great start! Within the first few hours, we have collected over 10 bugs in the trap! We witnessed a bug being lured in the ethanol bottle. Our trap is set up in a good location as it’s not affected too much by the weather. We are excited to see how many bugs will be caught in the next two weeks. -Erika, Carleigh and Jorja
Day One of Malaise Trapping
Today is VERY windy and we had to fix our trap. We had to reposition the stakes and tighten the ropes because the wind was too strong and pushing the trap over.
We put in the ethanol chemicals today after we fixed the trap.
Today was also an exciting day at our school, because we got two exchange students from Colombia! They both have the same first name!! They are not in our grade though, they are in the grade 7/8/9 classroom.
These are our predictions for our insect catch today:
Nathan: 20
Joaquin: 0
Josie: 15
Mathea: 12
Josia: 13
Lucas: 35
Joshua: 10
Other Boy: 14
Other Girl: absent
Day 5 of Marchmont Malaise Trap Research
Our ‘Bug Researchers’ have been hard at work! Paving a way for bugs to get trapped is a tough job but someone’s got to do it! Our team of insect researchers were busy making signs, monitoring and guarding our trap. Things have been cooling off and we don’t seem to be getting as many samples as we had expected. Possibly 30-40 specimens. We are looking forward to next weeks collections!
Week 1 Catch Volume 1.5
With a bug count of well over 100 the kids continue to have fun. Cyril Varney PS
Looking forward to week 2!
Friday 25 Sept in North Vancouver, BC
Today was another cool-ish, showery day (16 C was the high), but even with some of the blustery winds we’ve had, the Malaise Trap and its guy ropes are doing just fine. In fact, it looks as good as it did when we first set the tent-like structure up a week ago. This week generally has been cool at night (8-10 C), with a mix of sun and cloud, and occasional showers.
Interestingly, when you look at the volume from the outside of the nalgene bottle, it looks like there are only enough insects collected to (barely) cover the bottom of the container, but when you take the lid off and look directly inside you see there are dozens and dozens of very tiny insects, along with more usual sizes of flies and one wasp (which looks positively brobdinagian by comparison).
I would estimate individuals at 100 even though by volume they wouldn’t even register on the paper label, much less any of the graduated numbers.
End of Week 1
The first week of our collection has been a success! The trap remained intact all week and was not disturbed. Mornings overall have been very cool, while our highs have been quite high. Day temperatures are ranging between 5C in the morning and 20C in the late afternoon. The winds blew in today, so we actually took the entire trap down for the weekend and will re-stake it on Monday morning.
This is our total catch for week 1.
We’ll be back at it on Monday for week 2!