Beating net
Device for catching insects
A beating net is a device used to collect insects and arachnids. It mainly collects caterpillars, spiders, beetles, aphids and flies. The beating net consists of a white cloth stretched out on a circular or rectangular frame which may be dismantled for transport. It is held under a tree or shrub and then the foliage is shaken or beaten with a stick. Insects fall from the plant and land on the cloth. They can then be examined or collected using a pooter.
The beating net is also known as the beating tray or beating sheet. It is commercially known as a Japanese umbrella, mainly in Europe. It can also be confused for a beat sheet, an agricultural device of a similar name. A beat sheet is a white or yellow cloth draped over crop rows to capture insects.
The insect beating net was devised by George Carter Bignell. Use of the beating net replaced the use of the entomological umbrella and the clap-net.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Beating net”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Steinau fg02.jpg by Fritz Geller-Grimm, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Steinau fg05.jpg by Fritz Geller-Grimm, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bookplate Bignell.jpg by Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain
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