Reality math

Insect sorting was a daily routine. On many days I volunteered for it because the afternoons could either be spent outside on other activities or inside in the lab with the insects.

Each batch of insects collected at a salina would be emptied into bowls where a volunteer would then divide the insects by species. After each batch was completely separated, a species set would be taken to the microscope for close-up identification, then it would be weighed (scale on the left). This was tricky because we had to weigh the insects in the tray, move them to a container, then weigh the empty tray and subtract that weight from the overall weight taken earlier. The difference was the weight of a single species batch. Yes, it was tedious, but necessary.