New member planning a tropical collecting trip

[thebug1992]

Hello fellow entomologists,

My name is Ryan. I am a PhD student (hopefully soon to be finished) studying parasitoid ecology. I am an insect enthusiast and have been hobby collecting for many years, though mostly haphazardly rather than with dedicated trips. I love insects of basically all types but have a slight extra affinity for larger insects in my collection and am fascinated by the biology of parasitoids. I just stumbled across this forum in my search for information on tropical insect collecting. I am currently planning a trip to Malaysia to do some collecting but have many questions in preparing for my trip since I have no experience collecting in the tropics! I have gotten information on exporting and importing but am hoping to get some additional answers through this forum, such as on supplies to get (good nets, killing agents/containers, transportation/packing materials, etc.) and would be happy to hear from anyone who knows of the best spots to collect in peninsular Malaysia! So far Fraser's Hill, Genting Highlands, and Cameron Highlands have been suggested. Looking forward to checking out the forum!

-Ryan

[jmg]

Hello !

I am a lepidopterist and not a beetle collector. So I can't say anything about good beetle sites. I collected a lot in Thailand and Indonesia, but not in Peninsular Malaysia (nevertheless, I collected in Sabah). My friends who stayed there told me that the island of Langkawi is also an interesting place for butterflies. In a humid tropical climate, a minimum of attention must be paid to the insects collected: placed in an overly airtight box, the catches risk being victims of mold; in a less airtight container, big risk that these catches are devoured by ants!

On the website of the Lepidopterists of France Association, about Malaysia, see these pages :

www.lepidofrance.com/la-disparition-du-rajah-brooke-a-ulu-geroh/

www.lepidofrance.com/papillons-de-la-kinabatangan/

[nomad]

Looks like you will need to apply for permits to collect  " MALAYSIA: Permits are issued through the Wildlife Department, and it looks like an extensive process. Give at least six months for approval. " From Chris Grinter Skeptical Moth website

[thebug1992]

Thanks for the quick replies! Do folks usually add dessicants and/or moth balls to prevent mold and insect pests while within the visited country?

Regarding the permits: I've contacted an entomologist in Malaysia who confirmed my information from a few others that permits are only required for protected areas of peninsular Malaysia (and there are protected species). The skeptical moth info might be referring to Sabah or Sarawak which have different laws regarding collections and do require permits for all collecting. My contacts for legislature/permitting have been pretty good but I'm hoping to get some more generalized info on preparing for a tropical collecting trip from the forum. I can post to the collecting trips or equipment forum sections maybe?

[nomihoudai]

Use silica gel beads to dry them. Buy them beforehand. You will need them as everything will catch mold otherwise.

Try to source killing agents locally from your contacts if possible. Maybe they also have a net and a light trap. I try to avoid carrying the heavy stuff with me.

[nomihoudai]

Other than butterflies I usually try to layer insects within cotton pads in larger storage containers. That is sufficient if you intend to keep the stuff you catch yourself and don't need to access specific specimens.

[jmg]

"The skeptical moth info might be referring to Sabah or Sarawak which have different laws regarding collections and do require permits for all collecting."

Right!
When collecting in Sabah, I had both authorizations, collecting and export, including protected areas.

[Paul K]

If you have access to freezer, freeze everything right away, fridge is good too, not ideal but will keep ants away and will slow down moulding. If it happens you have A/C in your room try to dry specimen as much as you can.

Bring as long net handle as you can. Insects fly always around blooming trees up high.

[jmg]

The use of bait, especially in tropical areas, is always useful, at least for butterflies (for beetles, I am not competent). Either bait of fermented fruit (bananas or mangoes with a little sugar and rum), or bait of rotten fish juice or shrimp. This facilitates collect, especially since it brings the butterflies down from the canopy. It is also very useful for taking good photos: butterflies are quiet while they consume the bait!

Also for butterflies and especially the Troidini (Troides, Ornithoptera): you must absolutely use a bright red lure attracting males AND females. See:

www.lepidofrance.com/chiffon-rouge/

Always for butterflies: look for rivers or waterfalls rich in limestone (tropical karsts are numerous in Southeast Asia as well in southern China, as in Laos, Vietnam, Sulawesi, peninsular Thailand). The males fly over the streams and come to pump the mineral salts on the banks. These kinds of rivers are always very productive! See this page about Bantimurung in Sulawesi (karstic area), noting the bright blue color very characteristic of river or lake water rich in limestone:

www.lepidofrance.com/le-cauchemar-de-wallace-bantimurung/

 

Two samples of karstic blue waters : river in Bantimurung (Indonesia, 2009) and waterfall in Tad Kouang Si (Laos, July 2019), two places very rich in butterflies ; third picture: butterflies on the Kouang Si river bank (July 19, 2019):

[Paul K]

Drink a lot of beer and collect urine.
Find open stream in the forest pour a litre or more on the sandy bank, come back after an hour and most likely you will find many butterflies, also bees mud puddling.

[Adam Cotton]

Jan 23, 2020 4:16:43 GMT Paul K said:

Drink a lot of beer and collect urine.

Beer is not essential, but definitely urine bait on wet sand or mud is imperative.

Adam.

[jmg]

Jan 23, 2020 8:05:55 GMT Adam Cotton said:

Jan 23, 2020 4:16:43 GMT Paul K said:

Drink a lot of beer and collect urine.

Beer is not essential, but definitely urine bait on wet sand or mud is imperative.

Adam.

Urine works also very well in no tropical areas. For example, in France, it's the best way to attract Apaturinae butterflies from the canopy to the ground. Rotten cheese, dead toads or frogs, work also very well. In tropical area, a dead snake gives good results, especially for Charaxinae (no need to kill the snake : not so difficult to find a dead one along a road).

Some pictures : Apaturinae in the Dreux Forest (France):
1. Apatura iris on urine (Whenever I pass by this place, I urinate! Here, the butterfly came an hour later).
2. Apatura iris on dog (or fox ?) dung.
3. Apatura ilia on french cheese (strong perfume!).
4. Apatura iris and A. ilia on dead toad.

[jmg]

Jan 23, 2020 8:05:55 GMT Adam Cotton said:

Jan 23, 2020 4:16:43 GMT Paul K said:

Drink a lot of beer and collect urine.

Beer is not essential, but definitely urine bait on wet sand or mud is imperative.

Adam.

"Beer is not essential". This statement is very questionable. Beer may not be essential to attract butterflies. However, for the well being of the entomologist, it is really important. In countries where the heat is great, where sweating is constant, quench your thirst, especially after long walks, is essential. And, in my opinion, better a cold beer than a sweet soda. I remember the days of collecting insects in Irian Jaya where alcohol is prohibited: the lack of beer was highly regrettable. After a day of collecting, a cold beer (or even two!) Is essential.



Incidentally, it should be noted that in French Guiana, when night falls, drinking a ti'punch (rum and lime) is an essential rite including for entomologists. Here, a photo taken at Cayenne airport:





Second picture : Colombian and french entomologists drinking a ti'punch near Villagarzon (Putumayo, Colombia) after a succesful day in the forest:

[Adam Cotton]

I guess I won't be going to FG if alcohol is an "essential rite".

When I used to drive to Laos to collect I would take about 20 litres of pre-collected urine in 6 litre bottles in the back of my truck across the border from Thailand. Luckily customs never checked them! These would be topped up every night and early morning with non-alcoholic urine which works just fine.  

You need to experiment where to put the urine on the wet sand/mud, some places just don't work whereas another spot maybe a metre or two away will be heaving with butterflies. I think it must depend on the ground that the urine is poured on.

Adam.

[thebug1992]

Thanks for the replies and information everyone! I can definitely try some urine baits and other rotten stuffs for the leps. The limestone waters also look like a picturesque spots to check out butterflies and I will certainly keep an eye out for those!
On the subject of leps, what kill method is generally used? Especially for bigger specimens, I'm worried about having a big enough kill jar or keeping them from damaging their wings on the outsides of the container if a kill jar is used. I normally freeze stuff at home but I'm not banking on having good access to a freezer. Really the same question applies to any large insect.


I'm going to post some further questions into the collecting trips section to get a thread in that forum section.

Ryan