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--Apple-Mail-67--839592834 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Hi Angus (and other potentially interested entomologists!), On 16-May-07, at 11:38 AM, Angus MacLean wrote: > Thanks Chris. > > In another message you spoke about collecting beetles for you. > Which would be the best way of collecting beetles, presuming most > of us don't have the specialized equipment for it. > A great thing about beetles is that there are both very many of them and they are virtually everywhere! Some species are best collected using specialized equipments such as Lindgren funnel traps or malaise traps, but the vast majority can be found using nothing more than pill bottle and a pen knife. Some different ways of going about it: The best method to find beetles is to simply wander around forests, fields, seashores, lakes shores, bogs, marshes, etc. and look around. Turn over stones or logs to find ground and rove beetles (always put them back into place after looking. Lots of creatures depend on these habitats). The flotsam at jetsam at the strandline of beaches has a unique community of beetles. Every habitat will produce a different set of beetles. Mushrooms, particularly decaying gill fungi, have a very rich collection of associated beetles. Bracket fungi (again, particularly in the stages of decay), are home to an exceedingly interesting suite of beetles. Living bracket fungi is home to the smallest Nova Scotia beetle, Cylindroselloides dybasi, which tops out at a whopping 0.6 mm. I challenge NatureNS subscribers to look for these. :-> A hand- lens is indispensable. Take a look at: http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/Cylindroselloides_dybasi.html For further information. Many beetles can be found on the bark of trees, or particularly, under the bark of dead or dying trees, fallen logs or branches. A Swiss Army knife can be used to peel back the bark and look for bark beetles, obscure rove beetles, bark weevils, sap beetles, etc. Look for sap flows oozing from trees or under bark scales of living trees. Dead animals and various sorts of dung are magnets for many species of carrion and other beetles. Those who are stout of heart (and strong of nose ... :->) can poke about in such environments and find many fascinating beetles! There are many species found in fields and forests, and another suite than can be collected on beaches. There are many (generally small) beetles found in leaf litter. It's not always easy to see these, but a good method is to take a white plastic wash basin, shake some leaf litter into it, and then watch what moves about on the white-plastic background. A tremendous number of beetles (weevils, leaf beetles, tumbling flower beetles, flower longhorns, etc. can be found on various kinds of vegetation and also on the foliage of trees (click beetles, weevils, leaf beetles, scarabs, etc.). Its possible to find some of these just by looking at foliage, but a far more efficient system is to use an insect net. If anyone wants to take the plunge, an excellent insect net can be obtained from Macrodontia at: http://www.quebecinsectes.com/pages/pages_english/ macrodontia_english.html Their ordinary insect net costs only $12.95 and their telescoping professional net (which I recommend) is only $36.95. Sweeping vegetation with an insect net or beating on the underside of branches will produce a very large assortment of beetles. A technique sometimes used in forests is to spread a white sheet on the ground under a tree and then beat on the branches with a long stick. Lots of beetles will drop on the sheet and can be then collected. Once collected beetles can either be put in a baggie and frozen or put in a small, sealed container (like a 35 mm film container) with a small amount of rubbing alcohol to preserve them. I'm happy to look at beetles and identify them and can give further instructions on how to label, mount, and pin specimens and how to get started on identification (in some instances a rather challenging task ... :->). Nova Scotia beetles they have received only a tiny fraction of the attention that has been given to (say) the bird fauna of the province. Given the fact that the beetle fauna of the province, at circa 2,330 species, is almost 5 1/2 times greater than the ~ 433 species of birds known from NS, you can probably get a sense of how much still remains to be discovered about this fascinating portion of the Nova Scotia fauna! Best wishes, Chris _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._. _. Christopher Majka - Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History 1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 3A6 (902) 424-6435 Email <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca> _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._. _. --Apple-Mail-67--839592834 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 <HTML><BODY style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; = -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Angus (and other potentially = interested entomologists!),<DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On 16-May-07, at 11:38 AM, = Angus MacLean wrote:</DIV><BR = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type=3D"cite"> Thanks = Chris.<BR><BR> In another message you spoke about collecting beetles for = you. Which would be the best way of collecting beetles, presuming most = of us don't have the specialized equipment for it.<BR><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></BLOCKQUOTE><BR></DIV><DIV>A great = thing about beetles is that there are both very many of them and they = are virtually everywhere! Some species are best collected using = specialized equipments such as Lindgren funnel traps or malaise traps, = but the vast majority can be found using nothing more than pill bottle = and a pen knife. Some different ways of going about it:</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>The best method to find = beetles is to simply wander around forests, fields, seashores, lakes = shores, bogs, marshes, etc. and look around.=A0 Turn over stones or logs = to find ground and rove beetles (always put them back into place after = looking. Lots of creatures depend on these habitats). The flotsam at = jetsam at the strandline of beaches has a unique community of beetles. = Every habitat will produce a different set of beetles.</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><SPAN = class=3D"Apple-style-span">Mushrooms, particularly decaying gill fungi, = have a very rich collection of associated beetles. Bracket fungi (again, = particularly in the stages of decay), are home to an exceedingly = interesting suite of beetles. Living bracket fungi is home to the = smallest Nova Scotia beetle, <I>Cylindroselloides dybasi</I>, which tops = out at a whopping 0.6 mm. I challenge NatureNS subscribers to look for = these. :-> A hand-lens is indispensable. Take a look = at:</SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><A = href=3D"http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/Cylindroselloides_dybasi= .html">http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/Cylindroselloides_dybasi.= html</A></DIV><DIV><BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>For = further information. Many beetles can be found on the bark of trees, or = particularly, under the bark of dead or dying trees, fallen logs or = branches. A Swiss Army knife can be used to peel back the bark and look = for bark beetles, obscure rove beetles, bark weevils, sap beetles, etc. = Look for sap flows oozing from trees or under bark scales of living = trees.</DIV><DIV><BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Dead = animals and various sorts of dung are magnets for many species of = carrion and other beetles. Those who are stout of heart (and strong of = nose ... :->) can poke about in such environments and find many = fascinating beetles! There are many species found in fields and forests, = and another suite than can be collected on beaches.</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>There are many (generally = small) beetles found in leaf litter. It's not always easy to see these, = but a good method is to take a white plastic wash basin, shake some leaf = litter into it, and then watch what moves about on the white-plastic = background.</DIV><DIV><BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>A = tremendous number of beetles (weevils, leaf beetles, tumbling flower = beetles, flower longhorns,=A0etc. can be found on various kinds of = vegetation and also on the foliage of trees (click beetles, weevils, = leaf beetles, scarabs, etc.). Its possible to find some of these just by = looking at foliage, but a far more efficient system is to use an insect = net. If anyone wants to take the plunge, an excellent insect net can be = obtained from Macrodontia at:</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><A = href=3D"http://www.quebecinsectes.com/pages/pages_english/macrodontia_engl= ish.html">http://www.quebecinsectes.com/pages/pages_english/macrodontia_en= glish.html</A></DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Their ordinary insect net = costs only $12.95 and their telescoping professional net (which I = recommend) is only $36.95. Sweeping vegetation with an insect net or = beating on the underside of branches will produce a very large = assortment of beetles. A technique sometimes used in forests is to = spread a white sheet on the ground under a tree and then beat on the = branches with a long stick. Lots of beetles will drop on the sheet and = can be then collected.</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Once collected beetles can = either be put in a baggie and frozen or put in a small, sealed container = (like a 35 mm film container) with a small amount of rubbing alcohol to = preserve them.</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>I'm happy to look at = beetles and identify them and can give further instructions on how to = label, mount, and pin specimens and how to get started on identification = (in some instances a rather challenging task ... :->).</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Nova Scotia beetles they = have received only a tiny fraction of the attention that has been given = to (say) the bird fauna of the province. Given the fact that the beetle = fauna of the province, at circa 2,330 species, is almost 5 1/2 times = greater than the ~ 433 species of birds known from NS, you can probably = get a sense of how much still remains to be discovered about this = fascinating portion of the Nova Scotia fauna!</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Best wishes,</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Chris</DIV><BR><DIV> <P = style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px = Times">_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._= ._._._.</FONT></P> <P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT = face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Times">Christopher Majka = - Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History</FONT></P> <P style=3D"margin: = 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: = 12.0px Times">1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada<SPAN = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>B3H 3A6</FONT></P> <P = style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Times">(902) 424-6435 <SPAN = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>Email <<A = href=3D"mailto:c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca">c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca</A>></F= ONT></P> <P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times"= size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px = Times">_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._= ._._._.</FONT></P> </DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>= --Apple-Mail-67--839592834--
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