Hong Kong
Entomological Society
Code of Collecting Insects
Adopted from the
Joint Committee for the Conservation of British
"A
code of conduct for collecting insects and other
Invertebrates" and slightly
amended to suit local situation
This Society
believes that the study of insects and the formation of
reference collections, complete with their inherent
recorded data, are important sources of information which
make a vital contribution to the conservation of the insect
fauna and to conservation in general. To this end, accurate
identification of species is essential and often requires
the examination of dead specimens.
Available evidence indicates that insect populations are
not generally harmed by the collection of specimens.
Collecting may, however, have some potential to harm
populations that are very localised or that have been
seriously affected by the loss and fragmentation of
habitats, caused by ever-increasing changes in land use.
Such changes include the decline of traditional farmland
management and dramatic land development in rural area.
In view of these considerations, the Society believes that
collecting should always be limited to the minimum
necessary for the purpose intended, as well as by full
compliance with legal requirements relating to particular
sites and species. This principle is enshrined within the
following code of conduct, together with guidance on the
safeguarding of collections and associated data.
The Society acknowledges the restraint that is already
exercised by most people who study insects in the field.
Furthermore it believes that, by subscribing to this code,
they can show themselves to be a concerned and responsible
body of committed naturalists who wish to maximise the
value of their data for conservation.
1. Collecting - General
1.1. No more specimens than are strictly required for a
specific purpose should be captured or killed. Remember
that even an apparently common species may be locally
vulnerable.
1.2. Individuals of readily identified species,
particularly butterflies, should not be killed, nor removed
from the wild, unless required as voucher specimens or for
scientific or educational study.
If they are not needed for such purposes, they should be
examined while alive and then released near the place of
capture.
1.3. If the accumulation of scientific data is not a
specific aim, consideration should be given to photography
as an alternative to collecting, especially for
macrolepidoptera.
1.4. Species that do not occur in abundance should not be
taken year after year from the same locality.
1.5. Specimens for exchange or disposal to other
entomologists should be taken sparingly, and preferably not
at all.
1.6. Insects should not be collected from the wild for sale
or other commercial purposes, including the manufacture of
jewellery, or for purely ornamental display.
1.7. If specimens are sold from captive-bred stock or from
old collections, they should be accompanied by data,
including details of provenance.
1.8. When obtaining early stages by collecting leaf-mines,
galls, seed heads etc., never take all that can be found.
Leave as many as possible to allow the population to
survive.
1.9. Do as little damage to the habitat as possible.
1.10. Adequate records, as indicated in article 5.1, should
always be kept.
1.11. Collections should be properly housed, so as to
prevent deterioration or damage by pests.
1.12. The future value of every collection should be
safeguarded. The owner's will should provide for the
appointment of a scientific executor, who can offer the
collection to a learned society
or a museum.
2. Collecting - Rare, local and Endangered Species
2.1. It is illegal to collect
certain listed insect species or forms except under licence
from the relevant authority. Other taxa listed as being of
'Conservation Concern' should not be collected except with
the utmost restraint. A pair of specimens of any such taxon
should be considered sufficient for a personal collection.
Species in greatest danger should not be collected at all
for this purpose. The taking of larger or annually repeated
samples may, however, be justifiable for bona fide
scientific study, if it can be reasonably expected to have
no damaging effects on the population.
2.2. The collection of rare or local species from sites
where they are already known to occur does not generally
provide useful data and should be avoided, except for the
purpose of survey or other scientific study.
2.3. Newly discovered localities for rare species should be
reported to the appropriate conservation organisations,
records centres and organisers of recording schemes (see
5.2).
3. Collecting - trapping
3.1. The catch in a trap should
be released after being examined, except for any specimens
that must be killed for voucher purposes or for an
ecological or other scientific study. The release should be
made in the same locality, but away from the immediate trap
site. The catch should preferably be kept in cool shady
conditions and then released at dusk. If this is not
possible, it should be released in long grass, or other
cover; not on lawns or other exposed surfaces. Anaesthetics
are harmful and should not be used.
3.2. Live trapping, for instance in traps filled with
egg-tray material, is always to be preferred to the killing
of the catch.
3.3. Unwanted insects should not be fed to fish, birds or
other animals.
3.4. If a trap used for scientific purposes is found to be
catching rare or local species unnecessarily it should be
re-sited.
3.5. Traps and lights should be sited with care so as not
to annoy or confuse other people or to waste police
time.
4.0 Collecting - Permissions and Conditions
4.1. Always seek permission from the landowner
or occupier before collecting on private land. Obtain
appropriate permit(s) for access and/or collecting on any
site controlled by a conservation body, such as Kardoorie
Farm and Botanical Garden and Mai Po Ramsar Site.
4.2. Always comply with any conditions laid down by the
granting of access and the permission to collect.
4.3. Always report your findings to the person who gave you
permission, at least by commenting orally on the ecological
requirements of a few species of interest. Findings from a
nature reserve or other important site should be sent to
the appropriate authority in the form of a list of the
species recorded, annotated with habitat data.
5. Recording - General
5.1. Full and relevant data
should be kept together with all specimens retained; i.e.
as attached data labels in the case of dry mounted
collections. These data may be repeated and amplified in
databases, notebooks and other media.
5.2. Species lists, together with any other data, should
always be lodged with the relevant county and national
recording schemes.
6. Collecting - Protecting the Environment
6.1. Protect habitats and remember the interests of other
naturalists. Avoid harm to nesting vertebrates and to
vegetation, particularly rare or fragile plants.
6.2. When 'beating' trees or shrubs for insects, do not
thrash leaves or twigs so as to cause damage; a sharp
jarring of branches is normally sufficient and more
effective. Searching for larvae, rather than indiscriminate
beating, should be considered as more environmentally
friendly and giving more insight into the lifestyles of the
species concerned.
6.3. When coleopterists (or others) work dead wood or bark,
they should leave a substantial proportion untouched in the
locality. Where practicable, detached bark and worked
material should be replaced.
6.4. Overturned stones and logs should be gently replaced
in their original positions unless very deeply embedded.
6.5. Damage to aquatic habitats from over-vigorous use of
water nets or kick sampling should be avoided. Water-weed
and moss which have been worked for should be replaced,
together with the unwanted animals. Plant material that has
been left by site managers in litter heaps should be
replaced and not scattered about.
6.6. 'Sugar' should never be applied to tree trunks or
other surfaces where it could harm lichens or other
epiphytes or where it would be unsightly. 'Wine ropes'
should be used in preference to sugar patches.
6.7. Uprooting plants or digging up turf without permission
from the landowner is generally illegal in the HK and
should not be done. Certain plant species, which are listed
as fully protected by law, should not be picked or
collected in any way without an appropriate licence. For
insects in short turf, damage to the habitat can be avoided
and the efficiency of sampling improved by the use of a
'suction sampler'.
6.8. Litter from vertebrate nests or roosts should be
collected only in compliance with the laws applying to the
species concerned.
6.9. Follow the Country Code and comply with all bylaws
that apply to the site concerned.
7. Rearing and Breeding
7.1. If obtaining breeding
stock of scarce species, try to do so from captive colonies
that have already been successfully established, rather
than from wild-caught sources.
7.2. No more larvae or other livestock should be collected
from the wild than can be adequately fed and maintained in
captivity.
7.3. Bred or reared insects that are surplus to
requirements should not, without consultation as defined in
Article 7.4, be released into the wild, except back into
their parental population. Large numbers should not be
released even into a parental population if it is small and
localised. Surplus insects that, according to Article 7.4,
are not suitable for release should if possible be offered
to others with a relevant interest. The above guidance,
which is based on genetic and ecological considerations,
refers to native taxa.
7.4. The establishment of a new population or the attempted
reinforcement of an existing one should not be undertaken
except within a well-prepared, ecologically sound
programme; this must be sanctioned by the appropriate
conservation agencies, notified to the relevant recording
schemes and local organisations and agreed with the owner
or occupier of the site(s) concerned.
8. Health and Safety, Insurance etc.
8. 1. All collectors and
surveyors should look after their own safety and that of
anyone else who may be affected by what they are doing.
Formal risk assessments may be required by site owners or
commissioners of surveys.
8.2. If any activity might cause suspicion or confusion
(e.g. the use of light traps in certain localities), the
relevant authorities, such as the police or coastguard,
should be notified beforehand. All those involved in
fieldwork, especially organised events, should be aware or
made aware of their liabilities for personal injury or
damage to property. Appropriate insurance cover should be
obtained if necessary