A recent workshop at Goondi State School in Innisfail netted educators, landholders and natural resource management workers to help them understand more about insects in the environment. Queensland Museum entomologists Christine Lambkin, Allan Morrison and Noel Starick showed about 20 enthusiastic participants from Cairns, the Tablelands and around Innisfail how to catch and identify insects (safely!) at two sites: an established rainforest garden and a newly planted native garden.

The group used hand nets, beaters, and Malaise and pitfall traps to catch a host of insects. A keying session then taught the group how to distinguish flies from wasps, bugs from beetles, and butterflies from moths, and how to preserve the specimens. The comparative data from the two sites is being collated and will be used as a baseline for ongoing monitoring.

This is an easy and useful tool to measure the progressive success of new revegetation sites. It also adds a further dimension for volunteers already involved in Landcare and catchment work. Traps and equipment are now available for loan from Terrain to Landcare and catchment groups interested in developing insect monitoring programs. Training can be provided to anyone interested in how to set the traps, collect the insects, identify them, collate the data and use it for monitoring. Contact Fiona George, Regional Landcare Facilitator, on 0488702203 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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