Modular, field-ready Malaise trap for efficient insect sampling

This Townes-style ez-Malaise trap is a modular flight-intercept trap for passive insect sampling.  A central mesh panel intercepts flying insects such as Diptera and Hymenoptera and guides them upward into a collection bottle without bait.  The shock-corded pole frame enables rapid deployment in locations without trees and requires at least two guy ropes for stability.  Major components are replaceable, making the trap suitable for both long-term monitoring and short-term, relocatable surveys.

Detailed Description

A Malaise trap is a vertical barrier that flying insects collide with; many then move upward toward light and are guided into a collection bottle.  Because the method is unbaited, catch rates depend on placement, making ease of deployment crucial for standardized sampling designs.  In routine surveys, the trap functions as ecological monitoring equipment and as general insect-collecting gear for aerial arthropods.

The collection head is molded from solid polycarbonate (PC) for durability and high transparency.  Ventilation ports, which are closed by default, allow optional airflow; some entomologists report that increased airflow can improve catch efficiency.  A removable moth excluder, featuring a 1 × 1 cm grid, is included to prevent larger insects such as Lepidoptera and Odonata from entering, helping reduce wing-scale contamination in samples.

The ez-Malaise trap maintains the traditional Townes-style design while incorporating field-friendly innovations, making it an effective and reliable tool for sampling flying insects (e.g., Diptera, Hymenoptera).

Functional Advantages

• Modular design: Major components (collection head, fabric body, tall-end pole, and short-end pole) are individually replaceable, reducing downtime and extending service life.
• Shock-corded pole framework: Clips secure the fabric to poles for quick setup.  Nearly freestanding; requires at least two guy ropes, with more recommended in windy conditions.
• Rapid deployment: Lightweight, portable design allows quick repositioning for multi-site surveys with minimal hardware, reducing field time and standardizing trap-days.
• Dual mounting options: Can be used with its pole frame or suspended from trees and other supports through built-in loops.
• Collection head: Solid polycarbonate (PC) with high transparency; ventilation ports (closed by default) for optional airflow; removable 1 × 1 cm moth excluder to limit larger insects (e.g., Lepidoptera, Odonata) and reduce wing-scale contamination.

Field Notes

• Placement: Position along trails, forest edges, or stream corridors; orient the central panel roughly perpendicular to expected insect flight paths.
• Clear entry: Keep approach paths clear of obstructions.
• Servicing: Service collection bottles on a regular schedule (e.g., weekly), adjusting for temperature and catch volume.  Re-tension guy ropes after strong wind or a heavy catch to maintain panel shape.
• Preservative & labels: Choose a preservative appropriate for your workflow (e.g., ethanol or propylene glycol).  Labels should include trap ID, date/time, and preservative used.
• Hot and dry conditions: Modest shade helps limit evaporation of the collection preservative in warm weather.  Monitor preservative level and top up as needed to prevent specimen desiccation.
• Multiple traps: Space units 50–150 m apart to minimize spatial dependence.  Record effort in trap-days and monitor covariates such as weather, vegetation structure, and edge distance.
• Orientation studies: To study orientation effects or flight direction, use the dual-head ez-Migration trap to collect both flight directions separately.
• Canopy sampling: For canopy or multi-layer sampling, use the SLAM (Sea, Land, and Air Malaise) trap.  It is freestanding, can be suspended at canopy heights, and can be daisy-chained to sample ground-to-canopy strata.

ℹ️Disclaimer: Field Notes provide practical guidance and examples.  Actual procedures should be adapted to site conditions, study objectives, and institutional protocols.  Users are responsible for safe deployment and compliance with local regulations.

Pack Contents

• 1 × Fabric Trap Body
• 1 × Shock-corded Pole (L309 cm)
• 1 × Shock-corded Pole (L459 cm)
• 1 × Collection Head (pre-installed)
• 3 × Collection Bottles (1 pre-installed)
• 9 × Guy Ropes
• 9 × Plastic X-Stakes
• 8 × Alloy Pin Stakes
• 1 × Carrying Bag

Recent Literature Related to This Product Line (click to search more)

• The Hemiptera (Insecta) of Canada: Constructing a Reference Library of DNA Barcodes.  Gwiazdowski et al. (2015).  PLoS One, 10(4), e0125635.
• DNA barcoding in diverse educational settings: five case studies.  Henter et al. (2016).  Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B, 371(1702), 20150340.
• The School Malaise Trap Program: coupling educational outreach with scientific discovery.  Steinke et al. (2017).  PLoS Biology, 15(4), e2001829.
• Arthropods in modern resins reveal if amber accurately recorded forest arthropod communities.  Solórzano Kraemer et al. (2018).  PNAS, 115(26), 6739–6744.
• Expedited assessment of terrestrial arthropod diversity by coupling Malaise traps with DNA barcoding.  deWaard et al. (2019).  Genome, 62(3), 85–95.
• Using DNA-barcoded Malaise trap samples to measure impact of a geothermal energy project on biodiversity.  Janzen et al. (2020).  Genome, 63(9), 407–436.
• A Review of Terrestrial and Canopy Malaise Traps.  Michael et al. (2021).  Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am., 114(1), 27–47.
• Peering into the Darkness: DNA Barcoding Reveals High Diversity of Unknown Diptera in Germany.  Chimeno et al. (2022).  Insects, 13(1), 82.
• Optimizing insect metabarcoding using replicated mock communities.  Iwaszkiewicz-Eggebrecht et al. (2023).  Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 14(4), 1130–1146.
• Global arthropod beta-diversity is structured by latitude in space and time.  Seymour et al. (2024).  Communications Biology, 7(1), 552.