Insects analysis

A sample includes 20 sweeps, taking representative sweeps from different vegetations. The sampled insects were collected into a plastic bag by hand or using an aspirator for small insects such as parasitoids, small dipterans. The insect samples were brought to the laboratory and kept in a freezer for a few days. Subsequently, insects were removed and dropped on to a white paper and collected into a vial, containing 70% ethanol. Lepidopteran insects were separately collected and stored in envelopes as dry specimens. The specimens were sorted to taxonomic orders and families by examining specimens under dissecting microscope based on morphological characteristics. Sorting and identification of specimens were based on taxonomic keys, comparing with insect images published in electronic taxonomic keys. The number of specimens in each taxonomic level is recorded.

The collected insect species play a diverse ecological role in the environment such as pollination, predation, parasitism, decomposition etc. while the ecological role of some specimens was not clear. Some other species were functioning as crop pest which requires population management.

Total collection of specimens comprised 3548 insects and 282 spiders.