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4. Sampling 6. Dissection
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Collecting and identifying the insects currently living on Phragmites is an important first step in understanding what further efforts are necessary to introduce a biological control program and all of these questions will give scientists necessary information to determine which insects would be most useful. These insects can be difficult to identify, and therefore it is important to note their living habits: what shapes do they construct in Phragmites stems, for example? Careful handling and good notes are necessary when dissecting plants in order to preserve information that might help in identifying the insects inside. While you are not expected to identify each of these insects, it is extremely helpful to recognize when you are seeing one that might be a different species from the others you’ve collected so far. Careful handling and good notes are also necessary so an expert at Cornell can still identify the samples when you are done with them. Insect larvae can be kept in glass vials until they pupate and emerge. If we dissect Phragmites shoots in the winter, all larvae are mature and do not need food. The critical point is to keep them with some moisture in a room that is not too warm. They will start emerging a few weeks after you bring stems to room temperature for dissections. All larvae are internal feeders; they are sensitive to light. Keep rearing containers in a box protected from daylight. Emerging adults can be collected as reference specimens. Keeping them in a freezer for 2 weeks will kill them; afterwards they can be pinned for collections. An alternative is to store them in 70% alcohol. Disposal of the Phragmites: Phragmites stalks should be disposed of in the school composting site or put back in the patch from which they were collected.
Copyright 2002. Bernd Blossey. Cornell University
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