Small jars with lids are best as when you remove the trap, you can just screw the lid on. You can use a small plastic cup, cut down plastic bottle, specimen jar or pottle. The sites, transects and traps should beВ given names or numbers to identify them.Д«ack to top Materials For pitfall trapping you will need: This is called nested replication, and removes the effect of variation at different spatial scale (between the sites, between the transects and between the traps).ДЄt least two replicates at each level (site, transect / plot, trap) are recommended. This is why you have many sites, many transects / plots within sites and many traps within transects / plots. You need to know that your results are sound. Also remember that the more containers you have the more you need to sort out later. How many you choose will depend on practicalities likeВ how many containers you have and the total area you have to cover.

SoВ you need more than one pitfall trap in each transect or plot. Replication is needed at all levels in your sampling design. On small atoll islets this should preferably be about halfway between the ocean and the lagoon. Place the transects / plots at leastВ 10 m away from the sea / lagoon. This can beВ a little difficult in areas with coral rubble. Preferably choose site that are not too difficult to dig at. Similarly, if you use transects these should all be the same length (for example 20 m).Д¬hoose sites that are typical of the invaded area. All plots within a site should beВ the same size (for example 5 m x 5 m). Plots or transects can be any size that are convenient. Within these sites you choose plots (smaller areas within the sites) or transects (lines through the site). Usually this means choosing a few areas (sites). Choosing sitesДЇirst you need to plan where you will put your containers. If you are working in a sensitive area, where by-catch is likely you should consider installing a lid (an elevated plastic disk or plastic lid larger than the trap for example) on sticks over the pitfall trap. Note that pitfall traps areВ known to trap small animals such as lizards. Invaded areas usually have fewer (or different) ants or other insects. You can compare the results of uninvaded and invaded areas to get an idea of the impacts of the ants in the environment. The ants and other insects are then counted and identified. The containerВ is half filled with a liquid that drowns any insect that falls into it (and preferably preserves it also). Pitfall trapping involves digging a container into the ground to catch ants. But pitfall traps can also be placed in trees to capture ants. The most common type of pitfall trap are those dug into the ground. Pitfall traps can be a useful technique for confirming the presence of invasive ants in an area and assessing the impact of the ants in the environment.

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Making a pitfall trap