Malaise trap location – Insect Investigators

We are hoping to be able to do some scientific analyses comparing the trap contents between locations. To be able to do this, we need to know a bit about the place you’ve put up the trap.

This can be completed as a desktop activity soon after trapping is finished, but you will need to ensure you take the photos whilst the trap is up.

Malaise location information

School name

State

Location of your Malaise trap

We need to know the GPS location of your trap. You can either head out to the trap and take a GPS reading using your phone (e.g. the compass app) or go to google maps and place a pin on the map where your trap is to find the latitude and longitude – try to be as precise as possible (zoom in and use satellite mode to make it easiest to work out where the trap is/was!)

Method of getting GPS (e.g. iphone compass app, handheld GPS, google maps, etc.)

Longitude

Latitude

What compass direction is the collection bottle orientated towards?

Trap photos

Please take 4 pictures of the trap (one from each side when looking at the trap) at approx 5 metres distance from the trap. Images can be in jpg or png file format.

Distance of the trap to…

Whilst you’ll undertake a detailed habitat assessment later in the project, there are some simple measurements we’d like to know now.

Is there freshwater with in 500m of the trap? “Fresh water” includes permanent and semi-permanent water and can take many forms. Examples include artificial frog ponds, natural ponds, dams, wetlands, creeks/rivers, dry creek beds, springs, open cattle troughs, etc. Does not include water in fish tanks, closed water tanks, taps, school bubblers/fountains.

How far is the trap from the water?

metres

Is there mown lawn somewhere near the trap? (e.g. anywhere on the school grounds or reserve where the trap is?)

How far is the trap from the lawn?

metres

Are there any specific nature management initiatives in the area where the trap is (i.e., the school grounds if the trap is at the school, or the reserve if it is located off-site)? Examples could be: 1. flowers planted in pots/flower beds, 2. native shrubs/trees planted around the school grounds, 3. “nature areas” where bush is left without management. If so, could you briefly describe them?

Tell us about the trapping process

We just want to check the dates and get some information that might relate to how many insects were collected.

Week 1

Bottle 1: Date installed

Bottle 1: Date removed

Bottle 1: Comments: Was the trap ever disturbed, e.g., by wind or humans, animals? When did this occur (date)?

Week 2

Bottle 2: Date installed

Bottle 2: Date removed

Bottle 2: Comments: Was the trap ever disturbed, e.g., by wind or humans, animals? When did this occur (date)?

Week 3

Bottle 3: Date installed

Bottle 3: Date removed

Bottle 3: Comments: Was the trap ever disturbed, e.g., by wind or humans, animals? When did this occur (date)?

Week 4

Bottle 4: Date installed

Bottle 4: Date removed

Bottle 4: Comments: Was the trap ever disturbed, e.g., by wind or humans, animals? When did this occur (date)?

Weather

Some schools record local weather conditions. If your school has this equipment, feel free to record the following while the Malaise trap is installed. Alternatively, we can source this information online for you (or you could use it as an activity for your class to collect the information from the bureau of meteorology website).

During the sampling period were there any unusually windy conditions? Note which week (1 to 4) conditions occurred:

Mean maximum temperature for March 2022

Celsius

Mean minimum temperature for March 2022

Celsius

Mean monthly rainfall for March 2022

Number of days with rainfall in March

days