Our ability to teach students how to identify insects was hampered by the sheer diversity of insects. By the end of the course, most students could identify their collections to order. To teach them how to identify insects to family would require several years, we depended on the abilities of Dave Pollock for identification and data entry. In addition to the diversity of insects, students also gained a better appreciation for the patient work of curating a collection of insects. Specimens had to be labeled with care in order to ensure their scientific value.
Some specimens are small and fragile, and had to be handled with the greatest care.
In addition to these preliminary analyses, an impressive amount of data was collected by the BugCamp group. All specimens were identified to 124 different families, from 14 orders. Next summer, we will collect insects in the same manner to compare year to year trends in diversity.