# Cascade of flight interception traps for large scale exploration of the otherwise unreachable canopy insect fauna

## TL;DR

A new trap system allows efficient study of insects in hard-to-reach forest canopies without needing towers or climbers.

## Contribution

A novel cascade trap system enables large-scale exploration of canopy insect fauna without traditional infrastructure.

## Key findings

- The cascade system efficiently captures insects at multiple heights in forest environments.
- The trap system is effective in both tropical and temperate forests.
- The method allows for studying insect diversity and dynamics in the canopy.

## Abstract

We present here an efficient system of flight intercept traps developed to be set at the forest structure in tropical or temperate environments to assess the vertical structure of the insect fauna, including the ground level and the canopy at different heights. The system does not demand a tower or a crane to sustain the traps, and there is no need for a climber to fix the system at a higher branch in the canopy. The trap is a modified model of the Gressitt and Gressitt flight interception trap especially adjusted to a hanging set of traps here called the cascade system. Trap integration is a novel solution for exploring the canopy fauna. Initial counts of insect numbers at various heights, from ground level to the canopy, showed the efficiency of the cascade system in all strata explored. Finding means to access the unreachable fauna of the canopy is necessary, and the cascade system can be replicated worldwide in any forest to explore insect diversity and its dynamics.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-19981-w.