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This study focuses on the nocturnal and diurnal temperature relations inside and around the pits of Myrmeleon bore pit-building ant-lion larvae living in unsheltered microhabitat and Euroleon nostras living in sheltered microhabitat. The larvae's potential hunting activity and prey handling phase of predation in relation to the temperature conditions were observed. Due to the structure of pitfalls and the thermal layers above and under the sand surface, the larvae must suffer less temperature fluctuation during the day than their environment. The role of the pitfall seems to be just as important in prey capturing as in temperature tolerance. This function of pits especially prevails in unsheltered microhabitats. In unsheltered microhabitats temperature influences the potential predator activity as well as the distribution of prey handling phase of predation in time. The potential hunting activity of larvae is not influenced by temperature in sheltered microhabitats, where their prey handling phase of predation depends mainly on the activity of prey species. It takes one year for both species to develop, but underdeveloped individuals of two-year life cycle can also be found. During the observation period, the chances of development for normally developed larvae living in unsheltered microhabitats proved far better than the chances for underdeveloped larvae due to the temperature. During their evolution, pit-building ant-lion larvae have strongly adapted themselves to extreme environmental factors physiologically and behaviourally as well.

To compare the efficiency of collecting methods by structural characterisation of a neuropteroid community the authors carried out an investigation in a commercial apple orchard at Szigetcsép by using three different trapping techniques, Malaise trap, suction trap and light trap. Considering of the individuals of this community, the suction trap seems to be the most useful sampling device outrunning the material caught by light trap and especially those of Malaise trap.During the investigation the suction trap and light trap show the numbers of the species and individuals of Coniopterygidae, Hemerobiidae and Chrysopidae families in a similar way.To record snake flies, Raphidiidae, Malaise trap seems to be the most suitable sampling device while the light trap is the best for sponge flies, Sisyridae.Abundance of Hemerobius humulinus and Wesmaelius subnebulosus was underestimated by Malaise trap compared with the records of suction trap; however Micromus angulatus and Micromus variegatus were overestimated by Malaise trap.Comparing the results of light trap to suction trap Hemerobius humulinus, Wesmaelius subnebulosus and Chrysoperla carnea complex were underrepresented while Micromus angulatus, Micromus variegatus, Chrysopa formosa and Chrysopa phyllochroma were overestimated.Diversity profiles drawn by different sampling techniques show that the diversity of the suction trap samples, except for the beginning of the scale parameter, is significantly (p < 0.01) lower in its total length from the values of light trap and Malaise trap.In the profile of plots of light trap and Malaise trap the diversity of the samples were not different in the species with medium and higher abundance. In conclusion, the sampling techniques used in the ecological investigations can determine the characteristics of neuropteroid communities. These results show that sampling devices have to be chosen cautiously according to the main aims and the interpretation of investigations.