This is a list of just some places the Mothbox has been so far!

Panama

Gamboa, Panama

Near Dinalab has been one of the main testing groundds for its development. It has a harsh tropical environment of heat, humidity, salty air, and microbes that the US Military used to use for materials testing and means that things that can survive being left outside here stand a great chance in other parts of the world! This includes “urban” Gamboa which, because it is in the Canal zone, gets fumigated regularly and seems to have not as much insect Biodiversity these days :( . This also includes areas deeper in the forest like pipeline road or plantation trail which have an abundance of rainforest insects.

Azuero Penninsula

Pro-Eco Azuero, Panama

One of the first big projects to use the Mothbox is the large community reforestation project headed up by Pro-eco Azuero.

The Mothbox is being used by Hubert Szczgiel as part of a multi-modal biodiversity assay to monitor the impact of the reforestation.

La Alza, Cambutal, Panama

Another reforestation project at the very bottom of the Azuero Penninsula!

Reserva Ecologia, Azuero, Panama

A private reserve for maintaining the forest.

Mt. Totumas, Panama

A reserve/reforestation project/ award winning organic coffee farm on top of a mountain in western panama. It’s also run by Jeff Dietrich who is a huge moth nerd :). Jessie and Mulget are currently deploying mothboxes there to study the moth biodiversity (and there’s a ton!)

Barro Colorado Island, Panama

The world famous research island has also been home to Mothbox tests!

La Fortuna Ecological Reserve, Panama

Several mothboxes are being deployed by the technician, Bady, at a massive reserve with an incredible elevation gradient. This unique forest in western panama goes from 90m to over 2000m, and features weather that seems to change every 10 minutes.

Accoring to the PI overseeing work in this area, Jim Daling, it’s probably one of the most moth-rich places in Panama!

Ecuador

Amazonas, Ecuador

We went to the ELEN tropical butterfly conference and set up some mothboxes overnight in the rainforest.

(We also set one up in Quito, but it is chilly and urban and it got exactly one moth the entire night.)

#Peru

Madre De Dios, Peru

The Mothbeam was also tested to a resounding success in Madre De Dios

USA

Providence, Rhode Island

Our friends in Rhode Island run a program called “Wildlives” where they set up camera traps with children. They do this with local libraries and are now building a mothbox with the kids too!

Columbus, Ohio

We deployed a mothbox there as part of Beetlepalooza 2024 at OSU! Got to set one up in the backyard of art-science awesome people Amy Youngs and Ken Rinaldo!

Alaska

Hubert works up in Alaska in the summer and brought a mothbox with him!