FIELD TRIP EQUIPMENT

The Net

A net is essential for the capture of many group of insect like the butterflies and dragonflies. Buy one or make one following these suggestions.

Find a fishing net, a light one. Some have a retractable handle which can be handy but is not necessary. One with a small handle is easier to carry and faster to swing - you will need speed. The main thing in our net is the opening, the bigger it is, the better your chances in making a capture. Take out the existing pouch because the holes are much too big for insects.

We now need a fabric with small holes to make a pouch (try silk or nylon bobbinet which can be found in a fabric store). The small holes are necessary because they let the air go through. The pouch should be deep, around 24 to 32 inches (60 to 80 cm). Once you catch an insect and turn over your net, it must create a chamber that securely holds the specimen. The top 3 to 5 inches (7 to 12 cm) should be made of material to prevent the net to tear too easily.

I can tell you from personal experience that a net is never too big; the best ones that I have seen are sold by the company "Bioquip Products" and have a ring diameter of 22 inches (56 cm). Find the address in the section entitled "collecting tips".

My friend Marcin Krol in French Guiana
as he caught a beautiful Morpho.

There are also other interesting nets for sale (picture below) at good prices. Check in my links page (Entomological equipment for sale). It's good for serious beginners.

Killing Jar (Bottle)

Killing jars can vary in size depending on the captures. Beetles, with their exoskeleton, need little space but butterflies need more room in order to prevent their fragile wings from breaking when the poison takes effect. The bottom of the jar is covered with upholstery foam to absorb the few drops of poison needed and to protect the insect from shock. It is preferable to have a clear jar so you can see when the insect is dead. An alternative to the foam bottom is to insert a simple piece of cotton ball or paper towel impregnated with ethyl acetate. You will need at least two jars to alternate while the poison takes effect. A few drops can kill many insects depending how many times and how long you open the jar. As I said before, the ethyl acetate is the poison that is most currently used by modern collectors.

Paper Envelopes

When dead, your specimens should be stored in paper envelopes on which you write some data. Glassines envelopes, used by philatelist to store stamps, are excellent.

The most popular ones are made by folding a rectangular sheet into a triangular envelop as shown below. This type of storage is known to lepidopterists as "papering". Papering butterflies is the best way to carry butterflies and some other group of insects from one country to another; you can easy put a few hundred in a small container.

If you purchase butterflies from a dealer, they will be papered. Before spreading, you will need to humidify them. Freshly caught specimens can be spread immediately. However, If you don't want to spread your freshly caught specimen right away, put the papered butterflies or any other insects in the freezer. When ready to spread them, unfreeze them, if they have not stay froze too long, they should be soft to the touch to be spread. If too stiff, they will need to be humidified for one to three days. (see section entitled "humidifying chamber")

Other equipment needed: rigid storage box, syringe, ethyl acetate, rubbing alcohol, bag that can be put on shoulder, assortment of various sizes containers.