What are the best methods for collecting treehoppers?
Treehoppers may be collected by beating or sweeping the foliage of their host plants. However, many species occur high in the canopy or near the trunk of the tree, where they are difficult to collect in this manner. Such species are usually collected by carefully searching for them by eye, particularly in the crooks of branches. Ants seem to be very good at finding treehoppers, and because ants are more active and easier to spot, treehoppers may often be located by locating groups of ants. Many species are also attracted to lights. Most of the temperate North American species seem to prefer oak (Quercus spp.), and many savanna and desert species in Africa, Asia, and Australia occur on Acacia, but in the tropics, treehoppers feed on a wide variety of plants.
