Insect traps

These are insect traps. Along the road side between here and Siem Reap there are 1000s of these set up. It's definitely a seasonal thing. I remember them being there last year but they disappeared for several months.There is a light connected at the top of the bamboo frame. This attracts the insects which fly into the trap at night. They hit the sheet of polythene at the back and then fall into the trough of water from where they are collected in the morning and sold. Insects are a popular snack here. No bus journey is complete without a stop to buy them deep fried and in the evening sellers congregate in the park with stalls piled high with beetles and crickets. Cambodian insects are highly prized and there is a lively export trade to Thailand.Many homes have their own trap on the land in front of the house but there are also insect farms where many traps are set up and maintained as a business . As with so many money making ventures here,it's high maintenance work.It's the start of the rainy season and rains for a short while most afternoons.The rain is always preceded by a strong wind which damages the fragile traps making daily repairs essential. The sheets are rolled up each morning and then released again in the early evening. I just hope and assume that the price the farmers get for their insects make it all worth while