At least 18 orders represented. You may use computer-printed labels. We will lend you a net, collection box, killing jar, some vials of alcohol, insect pins, and a few other necessities, to be returned at the end of the course. You may also borrow, on a short-term basis, some other items such as sweep nets and aquatic nets, by signing them out. Do as much collecting as possible during September or during the summer before the course begins.
Diversity drops rapidly during the fall.
You won t yet know what most of your specimens are, but you can keep them for later identification. It is fairly easy to get 90 families, but you may have to work a bit to get 18 orders, so learn the orders right away, figure out where you will have to get the rarer ones, and get them as soon as possible. We strongly encourage you to go into the field in pairs or groups, and to work together in keying out your specimens. You should be able to get all the insects you need in, say, two weekends if you plan trips to several habitats and quickly learn how to find insects. You can meet the quota easily if you collect a lot of small specimens, not just big conspicuous ones.