How to catch and prepare to study diving beetles:
What do I need?
A camera
A trough, lake or pond with confirmed sightings of diving beetles
A small bucket (a margarine container or ice-cream container will work fine)
A tray or insect tank (if you wish to study them for a while)
A notebook, field guide, pen/pencils, etc.
A trough, lake or pond with confirmed sightings of diving beetles
A small bucket (a margarine container or ice-cream container will work fine)
A tray or insect tank (if you wish to study them for a while)
A notebook, field guide, pen/pencils, etc.
How do I catch them?
To catch a diving beetle, you must first determine how deep the water is. if it is too deep and you can't see the bottom, then you will have to catch them when they surface to collect a new air bubble. If the water is clear enough, you should be able to see them swimming up to the top, and, if you can't grab them then, try to follow them with your eyes so that you know where they went. They love to hide in trough slime, or other substances like it, so if there is anything like that in the water, that might be a good place to look. (Don't destroy the slime looking for them though, because it's probably home to a lot more organisms than diving beetles). If the water is shallow, then you may be able to see them trying to hide near the bottom of the trough/pond. If you can reach the floor of the water, then you can use the bucket to carefully scoop them up.
Notes:
Diving beetles are very fast, and once you have alerted them, they will be very hard to catch. It is a good idea not to rush right in, but to slowly descend the bucket in, and then quickly swoop them up. This way, they don't know that you are there.
Diving beetles only swim to the surface when they need to, so be prepared to sometimes wait a while - remember, patience is everything.
Diving beetles only swim to the surface when they need to, so be prepared to sometimes wait a while - remember, patience is everything.
What preparations are needed for studying?
First, make sure that it is a diving beetle, not a water scavenger beetle. (You can use my guide on page 3 - the scavenger mistake). Whether it is a diving beetle or not, any water beetles are fun to watch. You may want to put some slime or something into where you are keeping them, so that they feel safe and secure. A camera that can take videos is a good idea, because sometimes it is easier to replay a scavenger beetle in slow motion to determine whether they're a diving beetle or not.
Depending on how long you want to study them for, and how many you have caught, different housing requirements may be necessary. If you are only going to be keeping them for an hour or two, for short studying, a small bucket or jar can be used (depending on how many beetles you have caught). For long term storage, I would suggest a specially made water invertebrate tank, made from glass (an old fish tank could be modified).
Now that you're all set, get studying!
Depending on how long you want to study them for, and how many you have caught, different housing requirements may be necessary. If you are only going to be keeping them for an hour or two, for short studying, a small bucket or jar can be used (depending on how many beetles you have caught). For long term storage, I would suggest a specially made water invertebrate tank, made from glass (an old fish tank could be modified).
Now that you're all set, get studying!
Something to try...
If you hold a diving beetle in your hand, after a while it will start vibrating, sometimes only for a few seconds. Be careful though, because if you hold them in the open for long enough, they will fly away.
