[bbrock]

Sounds like a job for Brents Bug Bazooka. Maybe Brent can fill us in on this one.

Looks like they finally tore down my web site. I know I have a backup but not sure where. Until I find it. The bug bazooka is basically a large funnel with the small end enlarges to the inside diameter of a 2" pvc pipe slip coupler and then gluing the coupler to the small end of the funnel. A hole saw works best for enlarging the hole. Next cut about a 6" lenght of 2" pvc pipe and glue a piece of plastic cross stitch mesh on one end. I've used hot glue in the past but have wondered about whether pvc solvent would work better. Trim the plastic mesh so it doesn't stick out past the outside edge of the pvc pipe. Finally get two 2" pvc caps and mark one so you know which end is on the mesh side and which is on the open side.

To use this, take the cap off the open end of the pipe and slip it in the coupler on the funnel. Sweep your bugs and dump all the bugs along with grass and crud into the funnel and shake them down into the pipe. Take the pipe off the funnel and cap it. Then take the pipe to your frogs, uncap the mesh side, and put the whole thing inside the viv. Only the small stuff can get out and they are mostly perfect size for the frogs. Also, really small bugs tend to get in the cap on the mesh size so the caps are great to throw in with juvies and small frogs when you pull them off.

Hope that helps.

Brent

 

[bbrock]

Brent,

Interesting device. Two questions:

1) Do you have sketches?

2) Are you an entomologist?

Justin

1) I do have a sketch on how to make these things but it was on my website. My website was on a server that use to administer until I moved to a new job and location about a couple years ago. The web site has been free loading on the server since then but my replacement has recently reconfigured the servers and my site is no more. I have a backup of the web site on a disk or computer somewhere around here so hopefull I can find the content and post the picture here. However, there are tons of images of the actual bazooka at:
http://www.frognet.org/gallery/IAD2002-Callie

2) I'm not an entomologist. My degrees are in wildlife biology and rangeland ecology and I'm a landscape ecologist. I worked for the entomology department at Kansas State University and have maintained close ties with several of the entomology faculty for many years. If you've ever spent much time around entomologists, you know that their enthusiasm for bugs is very infectious.

 

[bbrock]

Brent,

I myself am a wildlife biologist as well. I use landscape models all of the time for my work.

I could tell by your posts that you are a wildlife biologist. Are you using termite traps to collect your termites? One of my few regrets of moving north is that I'm out of termite range and I miss the traps I had buried in my yard.

 

[bbrock]

If anyone is still interested, my web site has a new home and the direct link to the bazooka page is:

http://www.bbrock.frognet.org/bug_bazooka.htm

 

[bbrock]

EXCELLENT!!!

Thanks for the building instructions. I gotta go make me one of those. Too bad it's so close to fall. :?

Two tips:

1. You would be surpised how far into cold weather you can sweep and still get critters.

2. Many of the critters swept keep in the fridge surprising well. You can throw the sweeps in a ziplock and toss them in the fridge. Many insects will die but enough will survive to give your frogs a refreshing New Year's treat. I use to pick bugs in a lab from the sweep samples we collected in summer. Often times a spider or other arthropod would start walking across the tray after being FROZEN for several months!

 

[bbrock]

Glad the bazooka idea is useful for you. One last tip that you might be able to use depending on how your vivs are constructed. I have wooden light hoods that hide the lights. I screw a 2" PVC coupler up inside the hoods which gives me a place to plug in the loaded bazooka so bugs can rain down on the frogs and I don't have to stare at the ugly PVC pipe in my tanks. Although it can be pretty entertaining watching frogs crawl over the pipe and wrestle for the best spot to pop bugs as they crawl through the screen.

 

[bbrock]

When using the bazooka how do descriminate from the good and bad bugs to feed?
mike

See my rant on the other thread about "bad bugs". In my opinion the only "bad" bugs are the ones that are too big to fit through that screen. The frogs decide the rest. I've been doing this for many years and so have others without incident.