Aspirator (entomology)

In entomology, an aspirator, also known as a pooter, is a device used in the collection of insects, crustaceans or other small, fragile organisms, usually for scientific purposes.

One of the most common designs consists of a small resealable jar or vial, the lid or stopper of which is penetrated by two tubes.

A skilled lab worker, for instance, may be able to sequentially inhale and then transfer a pooter-full of Drosophila flies singly into vials, thus facilitating rapid setup of fly experiments with a minimum of pain caused to the researcher, or the researched.

Larger, motor-powered variants of this design exist (typically, a leaf blower working in reverse), often named D-Vac, where the insects are sucked into a mesh collecting bag in a long plastic tube, and held there by the powerful suction [5] In entomological surveys pooters are usually used in combination with insect nets or beating nets but may also be used alone to collect insects seen on vegetation or tree trunks.

The two-tubes aspirator design was first presented in a 1929 paper by Frederick William Poos, Jr., who is also the namesake of the term "pooter".