Bio Project (bug catching) help?

Question

I have to catch 40 bugs, over a long time period for a biology project. They have to be from different species and stuff but I spent hours in my backyard catching nothing. (I live in California and the weather is kind of cold right now, not like freezing winter though) Any suggestions on where I could go to catch certain bugs?

Answer 1

I had to do this in college - but I had to get at least 80 (I got 109). Have you tried looking inside? Try putting a slice of banana on a plate and see if you can attract fruitflies! Do any of your friends have dogs or cats? You might want to see if they have fleas! If the weather warms up a bit, try leaving an outside light on (or an inside light, just leave the drapes/blinds open in that room).

You can spread a garbage bag (light colors work best) under a bush with leaves, then shake the bush to see if anything falls off. Look under stones or wood that's lying around to see if anything is underneath.

If your insects don't have to be adults, the best place to look for incests in the winter is in water. Some lay their eggs in the water in the summer and they develop over the winter - dragonflies, mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies, and others are out there waiting for you! Get a net with a handle (aquarium net or butterfly net) and put it in the water downstreeam of some medium sized (8-10") rocks in a stream. Move the rocks and anything under them will wash downstream into your net. Put the stuff from the net into a dishpan (or something like this) with some water in the bottom. In a little while, you should see some critters moving around - they may not all be insects, but some should be! Ponds are harder, because there's no water movement. If the water's cold, most of the bugs will burrow into the mus. You can try using a net to scoop up some of the mud and swirl it around a little to wash the mud through. Here's a guide to help you identify aquatic insects: http://www.roaringfork.org/images/other/aquaticinvertebratesheet.pdf

These links have photos: http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dow/stream/orderpageone.htm
http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/benthosclean.html

Good luck and happy bug hunting!

Answer 2

Look in a woods for some rotten logs, some that haven't been disturbed for a while, crack them open, look under them. Look in the deepest leaf litter you can find, some where the micro climate maybe has yet to freeze. I don't know... you may get lucky, even flies need a hiding place when its cold outside. Depending on what the project is for, are they supposed to be alive? If dead, check window sills, in household basements, in corners and in cobwebs. Restaurants will probably still have cockroaches somewhere, and you could call your local pest control guys, they may have specimens you could borrow. (maybe not, but maybe). Your fellow students may have extras, although if this is your typical behavior they may not want to share but then again maybe you can negotiate a deal. Get going!!!

Answer 3

I would suggest a black light & a white sheet at night alots of bugs are attracted to the black light. If you know any young kids send them out side with a bug cage thats what I did when I had to catch bugs.