Project:

The Best Method for Collecting a Biodiverse Range of Insects on Long Island

Students:

Zain Alkurdi, Edward Chen, Samuel Shorr

School:

Friends Academy, Nassau

Mentors:

Jennifer Newitt

Abstract:

The goal of our project is to test the most effective methods of insect-catching to find out which of two methods, pitfall and jug traps, yield the most biodiverse catch of insects. A pitfall trap essentially works by luring insects down into a chamber buried in the ground. The chamber contains ethanol, a substance which both attracts and kills insects. It’s placed in a funnel-like cup to channel the insects to the center chamber. A jug trap, on the other hand, is a jug filled with ethanol hanging on a tree branch, with wine-soaked cotton (bait) in a cup glued to the middle of the base of the jug. Openings are cut into the sides of the jug, allowing for insects to enter. Once they do, they will stop flying due to the ethanol fumes and fall into the ethanol, killing them. This trap primarily catches flying insects and those that live on/near trees. When first drafting up our project, we thought it would be fun and engaging to test these two different methods of capture, take the captu

Poster:

Team samples:

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