Best examples of insect diversity: urban vs. rural areas for a standout science fair project

Before you design your experiment, it helps to picture real examples of insect diversity: urban vs. rural areas that scientists and students already see every day.

In urban areas, you might find:

• Pavement ants nesting in sidewalk cracks
• German cockroaches and houseflies thriving around dumpsters
• Heat-tolerant mosquitoes breeding in storm drains and discarded containers
• Honeybees and bumblebees visiting flowers in community gardens and balcony planters

In rural or less-developed areas, examples include:

• A wider range of native bees visiting wildflowers along field edges
• Ground beetles hunting in leaf litter and crop rows
• Grasshoppers feeding in meadows and pastureland
• Dragonflies hunting over ponds and irrigation ditches

Those contrasts are the heart of this project: using examples of insect diversity: urban vs. rural areas to ask how city life filters which insects can survive.

Project overview: comparing insect diversity in two habitats

At its core, this is a biodiversity comparison project. You’ll sample insects at one or more urban sites and one or more rural (or at least less urbanized) sites, then compare:

• Species richness – how many different kinds of insects you find.
• Abundance – how many individuals you collect or observe.
• Community composition – which groups dominate (for example, more cockroaches and flies in the city, more beetles and native bees in rural sites).

You can frame your main question like this:

Do urban areas have lower insect diversity than rural areas, and which insect groups are most affected by urbanization?

Or more specifically:

Are there clear examples of insect diversity: urban vs. rural areas that show different patterns in pollinators, pests, and predators?

That gives you a focused angle that’s still broad enough to generate interesting data.

Choosing good sites: finding clear examples of urban vs. rural

To get meaningful examples of insect diversity: urban vs. rural areas, you need sites that truly differ in how built-up they are.

Urban site ideas

Pick places with lots of pavement, buildings, and human activity, but at least some vegetation:

• Schoolyard with mostly lawn and a few trees
• Apartment complex courtyard
• City park with mowed grass and scattered shrubs
• Parking lot edges and sidewalk strips with weeds

Rural or less-urban site ideas

Aim for areas with more continuous vegetation and less concrete:

• Edge of a farm field or orchard
• Nature preserve or state park
• Overgrown vacant lot outside town
• Meadow, prairie restoration, or wooded trail

If you live in a suburb, your “rural” might be a large park or field at the edge of town. The key is that your two categories clearly differ so your examples of insect diversity: urban vs. rural areas are not blurred by very similar habitats.

Try to match your sites in other ways: visit at similar times of day, in similar weather, and during the same week or two of the season.

Sampling methods that work for a school project

You don’t need fancy equipment to get high-quality data. Most student projects use a mix of these simple methods:

Visual surveys

Walk a set path (for example, a 100-foot transect) and record every insect you see on the ground, on plants, and in the air for a fixed time (say, 15 minutes). Count individuals and note the group (ants, bees, flies, beetles, moths, etc.).

Pitfall traps

Pitfall traps are a classic way to capture ground-dwelling insects and spiders. You bury a plastic cup so its rim is level with the soil, partially fill it with a bit of soapy water, and leave it for 24 hours. Then you count what you’ve caught. These are great for comparing ants and beetles in examples of insect diversity: urban vs. rural areas.

Sweep netting or beating

Use a net to sweep through tall grass or shrubs, or gently beat branches over a white tray or sheet of paper. This reveals leafhoppers, small beetles, caterpillars, and other plant-associated insects.

Light attraction (optional, if you can work at night)

If your project and safety rules allow, set up a white sheet and a light at dusk to attract moths and other nocturnal insects. Compare what shows up at a backyard porch light in town versus a rural porch or campsite.

For a science fair, it’s better to choose two or three methods and do them carefully than to try everything once. Replication matters more than variety.

Identifying insects without going crazy

You don’t have to name every species. For this level of project, it’s fine to sort insects into recognizable groups:

• Ants
• Bees and wasps
• Beetles
• True bugs (stink bugs, leafhoppers, aphids)
• Flies and mosquitoes
• Butterflies and moths
• Grasshoppers and crickets

Free online keys and field guides from universities and museums can help. For example, the University of Florida’s entomology department has beginner-friendly resources on insect orders: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/
The Smithsonian also offers accessible insect ID materials: https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education/teaching-resources

You can also use citizen science apps like iNaturalist to get community identifications, but be transparent about how you used them in your methods.

Concrete examples of insect diversity: urban vs. rural areas

To make your project stand out, highlight specific patterns you find. Here are the kinds of examples of insect diversity: urban vs. rural areas that often show up in real data and published studies:

1. Ant communities
Urban sidewalks and playgrounds are often dominated by a few hardy species, like pavement ants. In rural fields or forest edges, you’re more likely to record several different ant species, including larger carpenter ants or seed-harvesting ants. Your data might show similar total ant numbers, but higher species richness outside the city.

2. Pollinators
In city parks and community gardens, honeybees and a few common bumblebee species may dominate. In a rural meadow or along a hedgerow, you might find a wider variety of native solitary bees, such as sweat bees and leafcutter bees, plus more butterfly species. These are some of the best examples of insect diversity: urban vs. rural areas because pollinators are so visible and ecologically important.

3. Flies and mosquitoes
Urban environments often have more container-breeding mosquitoes (like those using buckets, gutters, and tires) and filth flies around trash. Rural wetlands and ponds, however, may host a mix of mosquito species plus non-biting midges and crane flies. You may see higher abundance in both settings, but different species dominating.

4. Beetles
In a city park with mowed grass, you might mostly see lady beetles on ornamental plants and a few ground beetles under stones. In a rural field or woodland edge, you can find more ground beetles, rove beetles, leaf beetles, and dung beetles. This contrast is a strong example of insect diversity: urban vs. rural areas influenced by habitat complexity.

5. Predatory insects
Praying mantises, assassin bugs, and larger predatory beetles often need more vegetation and hiding spots. You’re more likely to find them in rural hedgerows or semi-natural patches than in heavily manicured city lawns.

6. Specialists vs. generalists
Urban areas favor generalists—species that can eat many foods and tolerate disturbance—like cockroaches, houseflies, and some invasive ants. Rural areas, especially those with native vegetation, support more specialists that depend on particular host plants or microhabitats.

When you write up your project, point to your own records as real examples of insect diversity: urban vs. rural areas and connect them to these broader patterns.

Designing your data table and analysis

Keep your data organized from day one. For each site and sampling event, record:

• Location and habitat description
• Date, time, and weather
• Sampling method used
• Number of individuals per insect group
• Notes on behavior or microhabitat (on flowers, in soil, on tree bark, etc.)

In your analysis, you can:

• Compare species richness (number of groups) for urban vs. rural sites.
• Compare total abundance (total insects counted) between sites.
• Calculate a simple diversity index, like the Shannon index, if your teacher is comfortable with that math.
• Create bar graphs showing the relative abundance of each insect group in each habitat.

For example, your graph might show that flies and cockroaches make up half of your urban catch, while beetles and bees dominate rural samples. Those visuals make your examples of insect diversity: urban vs. rural areas easy for judges to understand.

Connecting your project to current research and 2024–2025 trends

Urban insect diversity isn’t just a school topic; it’s a live research area. Over the last decade, scientists have warned about global insect declines, especially in agricultural and heavily developed landscapes. At the same time, newer studies show that cities can unexpectedly support high insect diversity when they include green roofs, pollinator gardens, and tree-lined streets.

Recent urban ecology research (2020–2024) has highlighted that:

• Urban heat islands can shift insect communities, favoring heat-tolerant species and changing the timing of insect activity.
• Pesticide use in both urban lawns and rural crops can reduce beneficial insects like pollinators and predators.
• Native plantings in city yards and parks can dramatically increase native bee and butterfly diversity.

The U.S. Geological Survey and other agencies track pollinator and insect trends; their pollinator resources page is a good place to connect your findings to broader conservation issues: https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/pollinator-health
The U.S. Forest Service also provides accessible background on insect biodiversity and forest health: https://www.fs.usda.gov/inside-fs/wildlife-bugs

By framing your graphs as real examples of insect diversity: urban vs. rural areas that tie into these bigger debates, you turn a simple collection project into a timely, research-inspired investigation.

Writing up your investigation for a science fair

A strong science fair report on this topic usually includes:

Introduction
Explain why insects matter for ecosystems (pollination, decomposition, food webs) and how urbanization might change insect communities. Mention that your project looks at examples of insect diversity: urban vs. rural areas using simple field methods.

Hypothesis
State a clear prediction, such as: Rural sites will have higher insect diversity (more groups) than urban sites, but urban sites will have higher numbers of a few pest species.

Methods
Describe your sites, sampling methods, timing, and how you identified insects. Include any safety steps, like avoiding stinging insects or private property.

Results
Present tables and graphs that highlight your best examples of insect diversity: urban vs. rural areas. Focus on contrasts: which groups increased or decreased between habitats?

Discussion
Interpret what your patterns might mean. Do they match your hypothesis? How do they compare with published studies or government resources on biodiversity? Mention any limitations, like short sampling time or only one season.

Conclusion
Summarize the most interesting example of insect diversity difference you found, and suggest how city planners, gardeners, or farmers might use this kind of information to support beneficial insects.

Safety, ethics, and practical tips

A few practical notes so your project runs smoothly:

• Always get permission to sample on school grounds, private land, or parks.
• Avoid collecting in protected nature reserves without explicit approval.
• Handle insects gently; if you can, identify them alive and release them afterward.
• Watch for allergies and stinging insects; work with a partner and follow your school’s safety rules.

Many science fairs now encourage projects that minimize harm to animals, so focusing on observation and non-lethal sampling can be a plus.

FAQ: examples of insect diversity in urban vs. rural projects

How many sites do I need for good examples of insect diversity: urban vs. rural areas?
At minimum, one clearly urban and one clearly rural site, each sampled multiple times, can work. If possible, add a second site in each category to show that your examples of insect diversity are consistent and not just a fluke of one location.

What is an easy example of insect diversity pattern I might see?
A very common example of insect diversity contrast is finding more types of bees and butterflies in rural fields or wildflower patches, while urban sidewalks and lawns have more ants and flies but fewer pollinators overall.

Do I need to identify insects to species to have valid examples of insect diversity?
No. For a school-level project, sorting into broad groups (like ants, beetles, flies, bees/wasps) is usually enough to show clear examples of insect diversity: urban vs. rural areas. Just be consistent in how you group them.

Can weather or season affect my examples of insect diversity?
Absolutely. Insects are sensitive to temperature, rainfall, and time of year. Try to sample both urban and rural sites under similar conditions, and mention weather in your report so readers understand what might have influenced your examples.

Where can I learn more about insect biodiversity and conservation?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has accessible information on pollinators and their habitats: https://www.fws.gov/program/pollinators
Many universities, such as the University of California and Cornell, host extension pages on insect ecology and integrated pest management that can give you more context for your results.

By carefully planning your sampling and clearly presenting your findings, your project becomes more than just bug collecting. It turns into a real-world investigation that uses concrete examples of insect diversity: urban vs. rural areas to show how human landscapes reshape the tiny animals that keep ecosystems running.