Thursday, May 27, 2010

New bug traps

Today with Lindsay set ten new Lindgren funnel traps; five along northern perimeter fence of OWP from NW corner entering from Chautauqua; three along southern perimeter service road entering through old compost facility to Blower building; one on Pipeline Trail; one on South Boundary Trail. Bait for traps = six pack of cheap beer & one pound of brown sugar mixed with a cup of decomposing mulberries allowed to steep twelve hours.
Power now available from Blower Building at south end of N-S Trail. Should set up light and sheet tonight if overcast.
Ralph Arnett super at Water Pollution Control Facility provided power and James Jones at new compost facility provided key for old facility gate. South service road not bush-hogged yet.
Last night Lindsay Lacroix and parents ran two banana trails for carabids along Escarpment Trail and South Boundary Trail. Bananas set out between 7-8 and checked between 9-10. Results averaged about 2-3 beetles per slice.. mostly mid sized Carabus, Agonum etc.. one or two large Carabus.
Some goals & questions:
1) what is the diversity of carabids and moths in the Woods
2) how does diversity change through the season
3) what is the seasonality of abundance patterns for different species
4) how do species abundances change year to year
5) how do wood boring insect populations change with forest ice storm damage / breakage
6) what exotic invasive insect species (scolytids, others) are in Woods
7) how does species activity/ abundance change with weather
8) construct species accumulation curve

Evening 8:30-9 PM set up mercury vapor light and black light. Checked at 11. Couple of Megaloptera females, one luna moth, one woolly bear moth, not too many moths.. maybe 30? Several hundreds (>1,000) of beetles big and little..mostly little. I scooped up a few hundred like scooping up sand and froze. They mostly are small grain of rice sized harpaline(?) carabids (associated with grass?).. also many small paederine(?) staphylinids, some Trox trogids, a few Carabus and Clivinia(?). Few to no cerambycids, curculionoids.. a few chrysomelids, notonectids, tenebrionids(?) I need to mow 30-40 square feet of operation space, work on my sheet hanging.. and think how different this might be if I go 100-200 feet into the Woods away from the grassy service road. Best to set bucket trap? Heavy abundance small beetles tonight. Moon soft yellow orange.. light overcast, warm 78F still.

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