What are the best methods for collecting leafhoppers?
Leafhoppers are most commonly collected by sweeping vegetation with a heavy muslin sweep net. Many species are also attracted to lights. Perhaps the most effective method is vacuum collecting. A gasoline- powered leaf blower fitted with a vacuum attachment (available at most lawn and garden shops) can be used to suck leafhoppers from dense vegetation. A fine-mesh insect net bag should be taped to the end of the intake nozzle to capture the leafhoppers (and lots of other interesting insects!). Another effective collecting method is insecticidal fogging of forest canopy. Entomologists at the Smithsonian Institution have collected hundreds of undescribed leafhopper species by fogging the canopy of a few sites in the Amazonian rainforest of Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador. Leafhoppers can be killed in a standard insect killing jar containing cyanide or ethyl acetate and mounted on pins or points, or preserved in 70-95% ethanol.
