INSECT SAMPLING AND

SURVEYING
PRESNTED BY THARA K R
2022 41 604
What is insect sampling
.Insect sampling refers to the process of collecting and
studying insect populations in a systematic and
representative manner.

.It is used to determine insect biomass, the status and

distribution of insect populations, and the presence and
status of pest species
Insect sampling techniques
Generally two types of techniques used –
 active collecting and
 passive collecting.
Active collecting
 Direct and active involvement of Collector
 Collecting insect in their natural haabitat .
1. The aspirator
2. Hand Collection
3. Beat and shaking
4. Sweep neting
5. Vacuum sampling
6. Aquatic sampling
7. Flight interception trapping
 Aspirator
• It is used to collect small and minute insects with out any
damage.
• It consists of a jar, sealed by a cover pierced by two tubes
pointing in opposite directions

Hand collecting:
• This involves manually searching for and capturing insects
using forceps, nets, or other tools.
• It is a common method used for studying insects in diverse
habitats.
Beat sampling
 involves the "beating" of vegetation to cause insects to fall into a net held below..

Vacuum sampling:
 This method uses a handheld or backpack vacuum device to suck up insects from vegetation or other
surfaces.
 It is particularly useful for sampling small or delicate insects.
 Sweep netting
• involves a butterfly or insect net being used .
• sweep in vegetation or water.

Aquatic sampling
• This involves collecting insects from bodies of water,
such as rivers, lakes, or ponds.
• Methods can include using nets, traps, or suction
devices specifically designed for aquatic environments.
Flight interception trapping:
 This method uses specialized traps, such as
interception traps or flight interceptors.
 capture flying insects mid-flight.
 These traps are typically placed at specific
heights and locations to target certain insect
species or groups.
Passive collection
 involves placing traps to capture insects for collection by collector
 Pitfall traps
 Light sheets
 Sticky traps
 Pheromone traps
 Flight interception traps (FIT)
 Visual survey
 Coloured pan traps
 Malaise traps
 Suction traps
 Pitfall traps
• devices (such as buckets) that are dug into the ground so that the lip of the
bucket is at the surface.
• Sometimes these traps are covered with camouflage, such as vegetation.
• Insects fall into the pitfall traps and are stuck there for entomologists to
collect later.

Light sheets
• which consist of white sheets suspended by poles with a fluorescent,
mercury vapour (MV) or black (UV) light fixed next to them, are
• used at night to attract insects.
• then collect the insects that land on the sheet
Sticky traps
• consist of an adhesive plane that causes insects
passing over it to become trapped.
• While sticky traps can be effective, they can kill
insects and the specimens can be damaged or
destroyed when entomologists attempt to retrieve
this.
Pheromone traps
• used to collect individual species
through species-specific sex
pheromones.
• with sticky traps, pheromone traps
often use adhesive surfaces to catch
these insects.
Flight interception traps (FIT) involve a
transparent surface/barrier, usually plastic, with a
basin consisting of a preservation fluid or water,
which insects would fall into for later collection. As
you can expect, flight interception traps often result
in the death of the insects that run into them.
Coloured pan traps
 Next to sweet traps and malaise traps the most common.
 Yellow colour is most commonly used
 Constructed with a bowl with shallow sides filled with water and
soap or a preservative and killing agent
 But other colors like blue, white, and red are used to target different
insect species.
Visual surveys:
 Similar to visual observation.
 involve visually searching for and counting insects within a defined area or
population.
 However, in passive visual surveys, the observer does not actively disturb or
manipulate the insects, but instead records their presence or abundance .
Malaise traps

• a tent-like structure placed in a

position to intercept flying insects .

• self-collect in strategically placed

containers.
Suction trap

• Force created by the vaccum source.

• Capture flying insect like beetles,flie,
and mosquitoes
Survey
 It is detailed collection of insects population information
at a particular time in a given area
OR
 Making a single observation to measure and record
something.
Surveillance: Making repeated standardised surveys in order
that change can be detected.
Fixed plot survey:
 The plot is fixed in an area and the counts are made periodically at
weekly intervals from seedling to maturity stage of the crop.
 The data on pest population/damage recorded periodic from sowing
till harvest.
Roving survey
 Assessment of pest population/damage from randomly selected spots
representing larger area.
 Large area is surveyed in short period and It provide the pest status of
large area. Survey is done from south to west direction by diagonal
walk.
Random survey
 It provides information on the damaging potential of a
species and
 data can be used to predict future population trends.
 These surveys provide the basis to decision making for
adopting control measures for a pest by the farmers.
Factors affecting surveys
1. When survey is to be done
2. Location of survey
3. Method of survey
4. Type and stage of crop
5. Stage of insect population
6. Weather parameters
7. Experienced person
Reference
Hand book of sampling methods by ccr press.
Survey sampling theory and method.