Insects: Another World

Before I met the enthusiastic insect enthusiasts, I had no idea that people’s passion for insects could reach such an extent - flipping over every large stone on the roadside, frantically searching for various insects ranging from finger-length to pinhead-size underneath. They would even set up cameras, standing still and unmoving beside the stones, slowly adjusting the focus, and taking pictures of the unremarkable creatures in the stone crevices. To them, finding insects was like discovering a treasure trove. Ants, beetles, blind spiders, every type of insect or arthropod seemed like a precious emerald or gold coin. Their excitement was contagious, and I couldn’t help but start exploring the hidden joys within.

We arrived at the botanical garden at 7:30 and met up with insect enthusiasts from Beijing Normal University and Beijing Agricultural College at around 8:00. We first went to the plant protection center to collect traps and small shovels, and began our first activity - setting up traps. The traps were disposable plastic cups that we buried in the ground, with the mouth of the cup level with the surface of the soil, and then filled with a lure (a mixture of formaldehyde, banana peels, sugar, and other substances). At first, we buried them on the mountain, so we had to climb over hills and mountains. Fortunately, I had similar experiences before and had developed the skill of carrying a backpack on my shoulders and tools in my hands while still moving quickly on the mountain. We buried the cups one by one, filled them with lures, and then covered them with dead leaves and dry branches to conceal them. After a few days, someone would come to collect these cups and replace them with new ones. By counting the types and numbers of insects in these cups, and recording the different collection times, the garden’s management personnel could better understand the distribution of insects in the garden and predict potential insect disasters.

In the Xiaoyu Valley of the Fragrant Hills Botanical Garden, there is a small canal with a plank road built above it. After resting for a while, we went to the plank road to set up traps. This time, we couldn’t use formaldehyde in the traps, in case curious children who might climb down and accidentally ingest it. We buried the cups one by one under the bridge. Because the area is next to a small stream, the soil is mainly sandy, and there are often large stones inside, making it difficult to dig. Often, we would spend a lot of time and effort but still be unable to dig a small hole the length of a finger. During this time, a student from Beijing Normal University discovered a frog in the stream, and I quickly rushed over to catch it. It was a Chinese bullfrog. Later, I also caught some tadpole eggs, which I planned to take home to observe carefully. After that, we went to another mountain to set up traps. At the same time, some people stayed below, using nets to collect flying insects. By the time we came down the mountain, those people (from Beijing Agricultural College) had already collected many insects. In particular, one of them, nicknamed “Newbie,” was extremely skilled and could determine the name, sex, order, and family of an insect with just a glance. It was said that this person had taken a year off from school to go to the mountains to catch insects, which was really impressive.

In the evening, we met Mr. Tang, a senior from Beijing Agricultural College who now works in the botanical garden. He was also very experienced and helped us identify some insects. On the way to dinner, the hungry crowd still insisted on flipping over every stone, which led to the scene I described earlier. I ate frantically in the cafeteria, as I was really tired and hungry from the day’s activities. This time, I experienced the feeling of being so hungry that I didn’t care what I ate.

After dinner, we began the lamp attraction, which involves using light to attract insects. We first set up a screen and a high-power light bulb, and our organizer, Papa, was busy connecting the wires and lamp sockets. We searched for a suitable location outside. Once everything was ready, we divided into two groups: one group hung the screen, and the other helped pull the light bulbs and wires to the destination.

At 8:00 PM, the lights were turned on, and the lamp attraction began. We took turns watching the insects that were attracted to the light. However, not many insects were attracted, probably because they had just come out of hibernation a month ago. Most of the insects that came were midges. The botanical garden at night was very quiet, with only the occasional sound of frogs croaking in the pond and dogs barking in the distance. After an hour, we were relieved by the next group. We returned to the plant protection center, opened our laptops, and watched a video about insects. I fell asleep on the desk after watching half of it. Fifty minutes later, I was woken up by the voices of the people who had just come to relieve us. Before I was fully awake, I rushed back out into the cold wind. It was strange that, although it was already after 10:00 PM, the sky on the horizon still had a blood-red glow, which was dark but beautiful, a desolate beauty.

As the night wore on, I took a walk around the garden and then went back to sleep. The results of the lamp attraction were not good, and we didn’t find any particularly interesting insects. However, the mysterious atmosphere of the lamp attraction will forever remain in my memory.