Why Dung Beetle Trap Restaurants Work – Issue #114

Hello Explorer,
The best way to do something is most often the simplest and most efficient way. Entomologists are always looking for the easiest and most efficient ways to collect target insects. To do this effectively we often use the insects own biological traits against itself, like in light trapping, emergence boxes, and dung beetle pitfall traps.
Last week in Dung Beetle Trap Restaurants - Issue #113,  I shared about how myself and a teenager who wants to become an Entomologist, captured dung beetles and also shared some of the observations we made. This week I want to tell you more about why the Baited dung beetle pitfall traps work so well.
Baited dung beetle pitfall traps are a perfect example of using an insect’s biology against itself. Dung beetles find fresh dung by smell. There are two types of dung beetles, the precision flyers and the weak flyers. The Precision flyers will fly and land directly on the fresh dung pile, while the weak flyers have another approach to life. Both dung beetle types will pick up the smell of fresh dung in the air and then they start flying towards where the smell is coming from. They do this by flying in the direction from where the smell is gaining strength. They will then fly in a zig-zag pattern in the plume or “smell cloud”. When they start to fly out of the plume and the smell decreases, they will turn back and fly back into the plume, where the smell is stronger. The zig-zag pattern they fly in will become increasingly smaller as they get closer and closer to the dung pile.

During this flight they will never fly out of the plume of fresh dung, and this is of key importance in their dung finding ability. Because once they fly over the dung pile, the plume or smell of dung suddenly vanishes.
Precision flyers will turn around and then in a spiral pattern get closer and closer to the dung until they land directly on the fresh dung pile.
The weak flyers react to the vanishing smell by closing its wings, tumbling down to earth and crash landing. So next time you are standing upwind of a fresh dung pile, make sure to be on the lookout for crashing dung beetles…
Once the dung beetle comes to a standstill from its crash landing it will, get up, turn around and start running towards the dung. The question is after the crash landing and tumbling how does the dung beetle know where it came from to run in the right direction to find the dung? Because if it is disorientated during the crash-landing running back might just be running in a random direction instead of where it came from. The answer is navigation, and very accurate navigation at that. Dung beetles are able to track, remember, and orientate their travel direction very accurately based on the sun or the Milky Way at night. They will look at the sun and then remember exactly which way they were going, and then turn around 180° running back directly to the dung.
Telecoprids are often seen climbing on top of their dung ball, head in the air, turn around a few times, climb off, and then start rolling their ball again. This behaviour is to orientate themselves as to where the sun is, because while they roll the ball their head is on the ground, and they cannot see the sun. They do this as the best way to ensure that they get their prized dung ball as far away from the dung pile as quickly as possible to avoid competition and to roll it away in a straight line.
The weak flyers are the reason that the pitfall traps work so well. Because they fly over the dung and then run back to it, making the suspending dung above the bucket an unavoidable trap for them.
The precision flyers can easily be caught from the bait dung ball. They do also fall off the bait ball from time to time, but often they are able to fly out of the bucket trap if there is no liquid kill agent inside the bucket.
Have you ever thought about how an insect’s own biology can work in our advantage? Have you ever thought about using the biology of the ants in your kitchen to stop them? Or even using a specific irresistible bait for the crickets that bother you at night?

If you would like to send me a message with your answers, feel free to do so on Instagram or Twitter @abugmanslife or via email to [email protected].

Meet Bugman!

Hi there, I'm Ludwig. As a passionate entomologist, I'm fascinated by the incredible world of insects! Did you know a termite queen can live for up to 50 years? Through this newsletter, I hope to share my experiences and ignite your curiosity about the vital role these tiny creatures play in our ecosystems. Let's Explore, Discover, and Share the wonders of the insect world together!  Next time you're outside, see if you can spot some fascinating ants or praying mantids – you might be surprised by what you discover!