Field method for sampling chemicals released by active insects.

An inexpensive, silent, maintenance-free suction/adsorption system is described for efficiently collecting submicrogram quantities of odors over a wide range of volatilities under field conditions. The samples can later be submitted to gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analyses. An example is given with odors sampled from solitary bees engaged in digging and defensive behaviors at their nesting sites. Gas chromatograms of odor samples collected from known concentrations of synthetic chemicals are provided for standardization.