A malaise trap is used to collect flying insects with very little effort. The trap is a pyramid shaped tent of thin netting. Insects can fly into openings in the bottom of the trap. Once they are inside they will fly up in an effort to escape. At the top of the pyramid a jar with a funnel shaped hole is attached to the netting. The insects fly through the hole and then find it very difficult to fly back out. A piece of insecticide, something like a no pest strip, is placed in a shallow tray suspended from the lid of the jar at the very top of the trap. The insecticide gives off fumes that kill the insects trapped in the jar.

In the picture above, you can see a malaise trap set up in the prairie. Since some insects prefer the shade to the sun, this trap will collect different insects in the woods than in an open field.

To learn more about other collecting techniques, click on sweep nets or pitfall traps, or to go back to collecting, click here.