I went out yesterday before work to set out some pitfall traps. I’m planning on trapping at 3 different locations this year and this is the location number 1. At this location I set up 12 traps….I could have done more but that’s how many I brought with me…..I might add more later.

The main part of pitfall traps is picking the location, luckily though its simple enough to move the traps if they end up not catching anything. I finally found a spot I like so now its time to dig.

I make sure to only dig the size of the cup I’m using to minimize the amount of disturbance. When the cup is in make sure it is at ground level so the insects easily fall in. I use 2 cups for each trap, the one underneath will catch water so it doesn’t flood the cup with the insects.

Once this is all set I add the preservative, in this case I use antifreeze. This will kill and preserve the insects until I get around to checking them. I’m probably going to end up doing this bi-weekly at the minimum, depends how busy my schedule is.

Lastly I put a cover over the trap to protect it from the sun. The cover also acts as a shade source and should keep the ground around the trap cooler so theoretically the insects would seek cover and fall into the trap during the heat of the day (I’m hoping at least). I’m currently using small plates but hoping to find something more sturdy but still allows access to the trap from all sides.

That’s what goes into my pitfall traps. I’m hoping they work out and I get some awesome samples. Of course I’ll make sure to post the samples here on the blog.