Bug Vacuums - Sucking Up Biodiversity

6/29/2014 Bug Vacuums: Sucking up Biodiversity
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/EnvSci_p045.shtml 1/12
Bug Vacuums: Sucking up Biodiversity
Difficulty
Time Required Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites None
Material Availability Readily available
Cost Very Low (under $20)
Safety Adult supervision needed to make bug vacuum.
Abstract
Have you ever wondered what a wildlife biologist does? Ronnie and Denise from DragonflyTV found out firsthand when
they worked with a local wildlife biologist to take a survey of the fish populations in their local lake. They wanted to
determine what the biodiversity (number of different species in a habitat) was like so that they could find out how
healthy the lake habitat was. In this science fair project you can take on the role of a wildlife biologist by examining the
biodiversity of insects in your own backyard using a homemade bug vacuum!
Objective
Use a homemade bug vacuum to collect insects from your backyard to determine whether it is a biologically diverse
habitat.
Credits
Sandra Slutz, PhD, Science Buddies
This science project was inspired by this DragonflyTV Podcast:
TPT. (2006). Fish Population by Ronnie and Denise. DragonflyTV, Twin Cities Public Television. Retrieved June
25, 2008 from http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/show/fishpopulation.html (http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/show/fishpopulation.html)
The concept for the insect vacuum was adapted from: Pollock, M. (2007). Bug Pooter. RAFT: Resource Area for
Teaching. Retrieved June 25, 2008 from http://www.raft.net/ideas/Bug 20Pooter.pdf
(http://www.raft.net/ideas/Bug%20Pooter.pdf)
Last edit date: 2013-07-17
Introduction
Have you ever heard the phrase "The more the merrier!"? In ecologywhich is the study of living things and the
habitats (or places) they live inthe phrase should be "The more species the healthier!". Habitats that have lots of
biodiversity are considered healthy. Part of biodiversity is having many different types of plants and animals living in
the same habitat. The plants and animals rely on one another for their entire life cycles. For example, let us say berries
from a bush are eaten by a field mouse, then the mouse helps transport the seeds inside the berries to different
locations, allowing more berry bushes to grow. The mice are eaten by birds of prey, like hawks, and then some of the
hawk eggs get stolen and eaten by a fox, and on and on the chain goes. This web of relationships is called an
ecosystem. The greater the biodiversity, the larger the ecosystem, and the healthier the habitat.
Watch this DragonflyTV Fish Population video http://www.pbskids.org/dragonflytv/show/fishpopulation.html
(http://www.pbskids.org/dragonflytv/show/fishpopulation.html)
Wildlife biologists (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/science-engineering-careers/Zoo_zoologistsandwildlifebiologists_c001.shtml)
study and monitor the health of habitats and ecosystems. One way they do this is to survey (identify and count)
populations of plants and animals to determine how much biodiversity is in a habitat. In this video from DragonflyTV,
Ronnie and Denise help a wildlife biologist conduct a population survey of the fish in their local lake. If they find good-
sized populations of several different species of fish, they will know that their lake is a healthy habitat. How do you
think they do it? Watch the video to find out what kind of biodiversity they observe, how they observe it, and what their
findings mean about the lake!
From the video you can see that surveying populations of fish is hard work that requires a lot of equipment, like boats,
nets, and containers to hold the fish. Plus, you have to live near a water habitat! Insects, on the other hand, are easy to
find in many outdoor habitats, and catching them does not require much equipment. In this environmental science
project you will do your own biodiversity survey right in your own backyard (or in a nearby park or field) by looking at
how many species of insects you can find. To conduct your survey you will build a simple bug vacuum to collect the
insects. Get ready to suck those bugs up!
Terms and Concepts
Ecology
Habitat
Biodiversity
Ecosystem
Wildlife biologist
Species
Questions
What do wildlife biologists do?
How are population surveys conducted?
What is biodiversity?
What are some different kinds of habitats?
What are some examples of different species of insects?
Bibliography
This science fair project was based on these resources:
PBS Kids Go! (2006). Fish Population by Ronnie and Denise. DragonflyTV, Twin Cities Public Television.
Retrieved June 25, 2008 from http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/show/fishpopulation.html
(http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/show/fishpopulation.html)
Pollock, M. (2007). Bug Pooter. RAFT: Resource Area for Teaching. Retrieved June 25, 2008 from
http://www.raft.net/ideas/Bug%20Pooter.pdf (http://www.raft.net/ideas/Bug%20Pooter.pdf)
To find out more about insects, try this website:
BioKIDS. (2008). Critter Catalog: Insects. Retrieved June 26, 2008 from
http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Insecta/ (http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Insecta/)
These websites are good resources about ecology and biodiversity:
National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS). (2004). Kids Do Ecology. Retrieved June 28,
2013 from http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/index.html (http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/index.html)
American Museum of Natural History. (n.d.). Biodiversity: Everything Counts! Retrieved June 28, 2013 from
http://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/biodiversity (http://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/biodiversity)
For help creating graphs, try this website:
National Center for Education Statistics, (n.d.). Create a Graph. Retrieved June 2, 2009, from
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/ (http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/)
Materials and Equipment
Plastic container with lid (1-cup or -pint size). Containers from the deli of your local grocery store work well.
Single-hole punch or leather awl
Flexible drinking straws (2); wider ones are better as they will allow larger insects to be caught.
Tape
Pen or pencil
Nylon stocking
Scissors
Plastic wrap, clear
Access and permission to use an area in your yard, a field, or other outdoor place where you think insects might
live. Tip: Insects can often be found under rotting wood, stones, and decaying leaves.
Tape measure
Sticks (4)
String (17 feet)
Optional: Magnifying glass
Optional: Adult helper
Lab notebook
Graph paper
Experimental Procedure
Making the Bug Vacuum
1. With an adult's help, use a single-hole punch or a leather awl to make a hole in the side of the plastic container.
a. The hole should be 1 centimeter (cm) below the top rim of the container.
b. Make sure that when the lid is on the container, the lid does not block the hole.
2. Using the same technique, punch a second hole opposite the first one, again 1 cm below the top rim of the
container.
3. Insert the mouth end of a flexible straw into one of the holes. See Figure 1 below.
a. If the straw does not fit tightly into the hole, wrap tape around the straw to make the straw fatter. Put the
straw back into the hole. Keep adding tape and reinserting the straw in the hole until the two fit together
tightly.
b. If the straw is too large for the hole, gently push a pen or pencil through the hole to widen it until the straw
fits. Make sure the connection between the straw and the hole is snug.
4. Cover the mouth end of the second straw with a piece of nylon stocking. See Figure 1 below.
a. Cut a piece out of the nylon stocking, large enough to be taped to the end of the straw.
b. Use tape to secure the stocking piece to the straw.
c. If necessary, overlap two layers of the stocking so that air can pass through but insects will not be able
to.
Figure 1. The two straws are inserted into the plastic container opposite one another. One of the straws is covered by
a filter made from a piece of nylon stocking.
5. Using the same method as in step 3, insert the mouth of the covered flex straw from step 4 into the second hole
in the plastic container. Again, make sure the fit is snug.
6. With an adult's help, use a pair of scissors to cut out the center out of the plastic container's lid. This will be the
observation window of the insect vacuum. See Figure 2 below.
a. Fold the lid in half to easily cut out a circle.
b. Leave a 1-cm border around the rim of the lid.

Figure 2. Folding the lid in half makes it easier to cut a circle out of the plastic.
7. Stretch a piece of clear plastic wrap over the top of the plastic container. Hold the plastic wrap in place by
snapping the lid of the container back on. See Figure 3 below.
a. If you need to get rid of wrinkles, lift part of the lid and gently tug the plastic wrap to remove them, then
snap the lid back in place.
b. Make sure the plastic wrap is tight enough that the insect vacuum window is easy to see through.
c. Make sure there are no holes in the plastic wrap or your insects could escape!
Figure 3. The completed insect vacuum is depicted here. Notice the clear plastic wrap window.
Collecting Insects
1. Mark off a 4-foot by 4-foot (or about 120 cm by 120 cm) section of your yard, a field, or other outdoor place where
you think insects might live. See Figure 4.
a. Use a tape measure to measure a 4-foot line on the ground.
b. Mark the beginning and end of the 4-foot line by pushing sticks into the ground so that they stand upright.
c. Using the tape measure, place two more sticks parallel to the sticks already in the ground, 4 feet away.
The result should be four sticks marking the corners of a 4-foot by 4-foot square.
d. Tie string between the four sticks, low to the ground, to identify the perimeter of your testing square.
Figure 4. A tape measure can be used to make a 4-foot by 4-foot square, with sticks and string marking the
boundaries.
2. Carefully search the 4-foot by 4-foot testing square for insects. Use the insect vacuum to suck up all the insects
you find, as described below. You will need to have a search pattern so that you do not crush insects in the
square.
a. To begin collecting insects, start at one corner of your test square and walk along one edge of the square,
walking on the outside of the string but looking into the square.
b. When you find an insect, gently place the filter-less straw so that the end is very close to the insect.
c. Place the straw with the nylon filter in your mouth and breathe in forcefully. This will create a vacuum,
which sucks in the insect. Repeat this process until the insect has been transferred into the plastic
container chamber.
d. After you have walked along the outside of one edge, start walking in a zigzag pattern inside your test
square. See Figure 5.
i. Do not forget to check for insects under wood, rocks, and leaves. When you do this, get ready for
the insects to quickly scatter!
e. Repeat your paths again until most of the insects in the 4-foot by 4-foot testing area have been collected.
Figure 5. To avoid crushing the insects as you collect them, establish a zigzag search pattern, like the one shown
here, walking on strips of ground where you have already collected bugs.
3. Examine the insects you collected by looking at them through the plastic wrap window of the insect vacuum.
a. You may want to use a magnifying glass to get a better look at the insects. How many different types of
insects did you collect?
b. In your lab notebook, make a data table (like Table 1 below) describing each type of insect you collected.
Note down how many you collected of each type.
c. Optional: Drawing a picture of each type of insect is an additional way in which you can describe the
insects you collect.
d. Optional: You can try to identify the different types of insects you collected. To help you do this you may
want to look at the resource in the Bibliography (in the Background tab at the top) by BioKIDS.
e. When you are done examining the insects, you should release them outdoors, near where you caught
them from.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 on two additional days.
Insect Type # Collected
Insect Descriptions: Day 1
Color(s) Number of Wings Antenna (yes/no) Picture
Type A
Type B
Type C
Table 1. In your lab notebook, make a data table like this one to record your results in. You will want to make a new
table for each day you do your testing.
Analyzing the Data
1. Draw three bar graphs to illustrate your data, making one graph for each day's data.
a. On the axis going from left to right (the horizontal axis, or x-axis), make a bar for each type of insect you
collected.
b. On the axis going up and down (the vertical axis, or y-axis), make the height of the bar represent the
number of individuals you collected for each type of insect. For example, if you collected four ants and
two ladybugs on day 1, the graph for that day would show two bars. The bar representing the ants would
be four squares high and the bar representing the ladybugs would be two squares high.
c. You can make the graphs by hand or use a website like Create a Graph (http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createAgraph/) to
make the graphs on the computer and print them.
2. How many types of insects did you collect? Which type was most common? Was your data similar on all three
days? Based on your data, do you think there is a lot of insect biodiversity in the area you chose to test?
Variations
What kinds of insects do you expect to find in your backyard? Research which species of insects live in your
area. Then do the science fair project above, this time using insect guidebooks and websites to identify the
insects you collect. Did your expectations match your results?
Do different locations have different insects? Compare two or more different habitats, like a field and a forest.
Which habitat has more insect biodiversity? Why?
Does changing the conditions in your test area change the types of insects you collect? For example, what
happens to the biodiversity if you sprinkle the ground with water first?
If an area does not have much biodiversity, what do you think can be done to improve it? Would adding things
like old wood, leaves, or water improve the biodiversity? Devise a way to test this and then try it out! Be sure to
give the insects enough time to get used to, and move into, the area after you change it.
Ask an Expert
The Ask an Expert Forum is intended to be a place where students can go to find answers to science questions that
they have been unable to find using other resources. If you have specific questions about your science fair project or
science fair, our team of volunteer scientists can help. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make
suggestions, offer guidance, and help you troubleshoot.
Ask an Expert (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/ask_an_expert_intro.shtml)
Related Links
Science Fair Project Guide (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_guide_index.shtml)
Other Ideas Like This (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/search.shtml?v=solt&pi=EnvSci_p045)
Environmental Science Project Ideas (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/recommender_interest_area.php?ia=EnvSci)
My Favorites (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/recommender_show_favorites.php)
If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring these related careers:
Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist
Ever wondered what wild animals do all day, where a certain species lives, or how to
make sure a species doesn't go extinct? Zoologists and wildlife biologists tackle all
these questions. They study the behaviors and habitats of wild animals, while also
working to maintain healthy populations, both in the wild and in captivity. Read more
(http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-engineering-careers/life-sciences/zoologist-and-wildlife-biologist)
Environmental Scientist
Have you ever noticed that for people with asthma it can sometimes be especially
hard to breathe in the middle of a busy city? One reason for this is the exhaust from
vehicles. Cars, buses, and motorcycles add pollution to our air, which affects our
health. But can pollution impact more than our health? Cutting down trees, or
deforestation, can contribute to erosion, which carries off valuable topsoil. But can
erosion alter more than the condition of the soil? How does an oil spill harm fish and aquatic plants? How does a
population of animals interact with its environment? These are questions that environmental scientists study and try to
find answers to. They conduct research or perform investigations to identify and eliminate the sources of pollution or
hazards that damage either the environment or human and animal health. Environmental scientists are the stewards of
our environment and are committed to keeping it safe for future generations. Read more (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-
engineering-careers/earth-physical-sciences/environmental-scientist)
Park Ranger
Park rangers are the law enforcement officials of our state and national parks. They
protect and preserve parklands, keeping park resources safe from people who might
try to damage them, deliberately or through neglect, and keeping people safe from
dangers within the park. To achieve this goal, park rangers work in a wide variety of
positions, including education and interpretation for park visitors, emergency dispatch,
firefighting, maintenance, law enforcement, search and rescue, and administration. There is a large global shortage of
park rangers in developing countries. Read more (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-engineering-careers/earth-physical-sciences/park-ranger)
Looking for more science fun?
Try one of our science activities for quick, anytime science explorations. The perfect thing to liven up a rainy day,
school vacation, or moment of boredom.
Find an Activity (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-activities)
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