Field Equipment

POOTERS

The big one
For flies, sawflies, bugs etc from a net usually. Not ideal for spiders as ideally you would want them to end up in the bottom of a pot. Not usually beetles either. It has a large capacity and is usually used for a decent length session where a larger number of specimens are being collected. Typically after a session I will use poison to terminate the contents, making sure it gets a good airing and wash before re-use. I also use more than one if I'm doing different locations so that there's no cross contamination in terms of recording. Be careful about the introductino of voracious predators like Scathophaga stercoraria, which will revel in the captive food supply! Most other things are too distracted to do that but those dung flies have one thing on their mind.

The smaller one
Good for when you've sieved leaf litter or a tussock but the angle is a wee bit awkward at times as you try to get the "in" tube on a specimen. The pot can usefully be swapped over and a stopper applied so you can use multiple pots in a session. Not great for things that can fly away! Not bad for spiders and most smaller beetles though.I find the rubber stopped has to be watched as it doesn't always stay in as well as I'd like.

The "suck and blow"
This is used by pooting up one specimen before blowing it back out, usually into a pot of alcohol. Very good for retrieving small specimens from a tray of sieved material and potting them up in one alcohol tube. This is a DIY one (though not made by me) using a couple of plastic tubes and a bit of gauze. It also looks like it badly needs cleaned.

HAND LENS

Any hand lens will do, including one for a couple of quid from a well-known online retailer. I have several but this is my favourite as x8 and x15 are good for examining specimens in glass tubes. Most people who use hand lenses use lanyards as ... well, don't use a lanyard and you'll see how many hand lenses you lose before you get a lanyard!

SIEVE AND TRAY

For beating, leaf litter sieving and tussocking this pair is invaluable. This is a thick tray which is also good for pond dipping and rockpooling. Any surface can be used for sieving litter really (the inside of an ASDA "bag for life" is waterproof, wipe-able and a good white) but when you put water in it you want something robust. The sieve is a garden sieve from a local gardeners store. Widely available. Drop your material into the sieve, rumble it around and watch as the tray fills with wriggling critters.

KNIFE

This is essentially a mycology knife, and that's mostly what I use it for, but I also use it for breaking up material like dead wood and cutting off tussocks. It's always in my pocket, and a spare is in my bag. Opinel knives are the business and they lock so you reduce the chance of amputating one of your fingers. Another item that you often see with a lanyard!