The Linnaean enterprise of describing the world biota is far from completed due to lack of
taxonomic expertise and basic resources. Even in Sweden our natural history collections
simply do not contain a fully representative material of our biota. An inventory with particular focus on Hymenoptera and Diptera has deployed 61 Malaise traps in carefully selected localities throughout Sweden for year-round collecting during two full years. Volunteers play an important part in emptying and maintaining traps, and all material will initially
be deposited at the Swedish Museum of Natural History. After sorting to superfamily or
family level, the material will be available for taxonomic studies. While the ultimate goal is
a complete treatment, initial emphasis will be on species-rich but poorly known taxa like
Ichneumonidae, Braconidae, Chalcidoidea, Cynipoidea, Platygastroidea, Evanioidea, Ceraphronoidea and Proctotrupoidea in the Hymenoptera, and Phoridae, Mycetophilidae,
Sciaridae, and lestremine Cecidomyiidae in the Diptera. Well-known taxa like Sphecidae
(Hymenoptera) and Asilidae, Syrphidae (Diptera) may be used for estimates of trap efficiency.