How to Make a Pooter
I like to call it a Bug Sucker!
A Pooter (they are also called bug suckers and aspirators) are a special piece of equipment that entomologists have to catch really small insects (like ants) without squashing them. Instead of using your fingers to pick them up, you use your lungs to suck them up!!
Materials
- A glass jar with a plastic lid (a vegemite or peanut butter jar is great for this)
- About 75cm of plastic tubing (you can get his from a hardware shop). The plastic tubing must be big enough for the bug that you are catching to fit through
- Some old pantyhose or muslin cloth
- An elastic band
- Plasticine or blue tack
- A pair of scissors
- A soldering iron
Step-by-step
Cut the tube into two bits, one 50cm long, the other 25cm long. Cover one end of the short tube with the scrap of muslin or panty hose and secure it with the elastic band. This will stop you sucking up the bug into your mouth!
Using the soldering iron (being careful not to burn yourself), melt 2 holes in the lid of the jar so that the tubing will just fit through.
Once the plastic has cooled, push the plastic tubing through the holes (see the diagram above), and use the plasticine or blue tack to seal around the hole so that no air can escape).
You now have a fantastic bug sucker!!
How to Catch Bugs Using Your New Bug Sucker
Place the end of the long tube over the bug you'd like to catch. Suck gently on the end of the short tube.
Your sucking creates a vacuum in the tube, which will pull the bug into your jar.