Measuring Insect Abundance based on Light Intensity and Habitat

This experiment took place on two different days, October 19th and October 26th at York University, Stong Pond. On October 19th, the results were collected between 3:00 - 4:30 pm. The temperature was 10 degrees, and it was cloudy. On October 26th the results were collected from 2:45 - 4:30 pm, the temperature was 12 degrees and it was cloudy and windy. The materials that were used in this experiment included, 20 pan trap bowls, a stop watch, soapy water and a magnifying glass. 10 pan trap bowls filled with soapy water were placed in each of the two habitats, grassland and woodlot. The colours of the pan traps ranged from light blue, red, yellow, white, dark blue which attracted different types of insects. The canopy coverage was measured by pointing both hands towards the sky and arranging them in the shape of a square and then estimating the coverage in percent. An edge along the grassland or woodlot was chosen as a starting point for the first pan trap. Subsequent pan traps were placed every 2 meters, using a transect tape, from the starting point in a straight line. The pan traps were placed for a duration of 60 minutes, and then 2 minutes were spent counting the insects in each pan trap. Syed Yusuf and Sarah Alsammarrai set up the pan traps in the woodlot while Sharon and Anosha set up the pan traps in the grassland. This procedure was followed for Day 1 and Day 2 for the experiment.