Flies and wasps dominate each of our weekly collections. Many are large and showy, and there is a huge variety. Others are extremely small – but they all play a role in the forest ecosystem. And all will be barcoded.

With special permission, we view each sample collection before bagging and storage. Any specimens removed for further study are carefully labelled, and we take great care in handling. It is critical to the validity of the GMP data that every insect, no matter how small, is recorded and processed as part of the appropriate sample.

It’s not ALL flies, wasps, ants and bees. Many other orders are represented in the mix. In this image alone there are various beetles (Coleoptera), bugs (Hemiptera), moths (Lepidoptera), a cockroach (Blattodea) and grasshoppers (Orthoptera).

The raspy cricket in the centre of this image was a surprising find. Not only do we see this species only rarely … but it is flightless. It must have climbed the trap mesh and ultimately fallen into the collection bottle. And it wasn’t alone! This single sample contained an adult female (centre, arrow), an adult male, and at least five nymphs (eg arrow top left).

Note too the many tiny insects, some circled in red. Probably flies and wasps … we’ll know soon enough!