ET-146 May 1939 
 
 United States Department of Agriculture ' 
 
 Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine 
 
 A MOBILE INSECT-COLLECTING TRAP 
 
 By J. R. Douglass and E. H. Bean, Division of Truck 
 Crop and Garden Insect Investigations 1/ 
 
 Each fall for a number of years the beet leafhopper ( Eutettix 
 tenellus (Bak.)) has been collected in large numbers, by the sweep- 
 net method, for hibernation studies and other investigational work. 
 Where the number of female insects desired was in excess of 30,000 
 it required the work of four or five v/orkers for a period of from 
 1 to 2 weeks, depending upon the abundance of the insect, the tem- 
 perature, and the wind velocity. The trap herein described was 
 constructed to replace the method of sv/eep-net collection and to 
 permit collecting on days when the sweep net is practically valueless 
 as a collecting device. 
 
 Construction 
 
 The following material was used in constructing the trap: 
 
 1 piece clear pine (sides), 1/2" x 12" x 16' 
 1 piece 3-ply wood (bottom), 1/4" x 36" x 4' 
 1 piece clear pine (braces), 3/8" x 3-1/4" x 10' 
 1 piece clear pine (bearings and bottom reinforcements), 
 1" X 6" x 6' 
 
 1 piece clear fir (pole), 2" x 4" x 10' 
 
 2 pieces hardwood (runners), 1" x 1" x 8" 
 Screen moulding, 15 linear feet 
 
 1 piece mesh wire (30-mesh), 36" x 48" 
 
 1 piece mesh wire (1-inch mesh), 12" x 36" 
 
 1 axle, 1/2" X 47" 
 
 2 wheels, 5-1/2" 
 
 2 tires, 10" x 2.75" 
 
 1 piece sheet metal, 12" x 24" 
 
 2 bolts, 1/2" X 5" 
 
 The trap was constructed according to the diagrams in figures 
 1 and 2. The appearance can be improved and the weight reduced by 
 
 1/ The writers are indebted to F. H. Harries for the 
 drawings. 
 
-2- 
 
 bringing in the sides to form the throat, thereby streamlining the 
 cage. A hardware-cloth screen should be inserted in about the 
 middle of the trap to prevent plant material from going back into 
 the throat and the cloth bag. The air draft can be changed by 
 using different materials to cover the top, thus changing the amount 
 of air going through it. 
 
 Operation 
 
 The 2 by 4 inch pole was bolted to the front bumper of a car 
 with the hitch end to the left, and the trap was hitched to the 
 pole with wire cable, as shown in figure 3. The height of the trap 
 was adjusted by placing the axle through the proper hole bored 
 through both sides of the trap and bearing boards. The trap was 
 hitched on the left side of the car to permit better observation 
 by the driver of the car. The hitch was adjusted so as to prevent 
 the trap from running under the car while turning. A small cloth 
 bag was placed over the rear opening and fastened to the trap by a 
 hook and a piece of inner tubing. The truck (fig. 4) was driven 
 over the area at 15 or 20 miles per hour, and the air current 
 forced the insects that moved in front of the trap back through the 
 trap into the bag. At intervals the contents of the sack were dumped 
 into cardboard tubes, and a cage was placed over the open end, 
 into which the insects moved. On cool days the tubes can be warmed, 
 thereby increasing the activity of the insects. 
 
 Effect on Leafhoppers 
 
 It seemed to members of the Twin Falls laboratory staff 
 that leafhoppers collected by this method were not injured so much 
 as when they were collected with the sweep net. 
 
 Uses 
 
 This type of trap can be used on range and abandoned lands, 
 where cars can be driven, to collect large numbers of insects. For 
 survey work it can be used in determining the occurrence and popu- 
 lation of certain insects. 
 
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 Figure 3« — Side view of trap showing hitch. 
 
 
 Figure 4.» — Trap in operation, 
 
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 
 
 3 1262 08537 0855