About

What is Claridge Traps?

Claridge traps is a startup entomological supply company founded by the husband and wife team Brandon and Olivia Claridge. We combined our expertise in entomology and design to create a company in service to professional entomologists, amateur insect collectors, ecologists, or really anyone interested in insect biodiversity. Our company began out of a frustration with the price and limited range of insect traps available. The goals of Claridge Traps are two fold. First, we are dedicated to providing the entomological community with a variety of high-quality yet affordable insect traps. Innovation in insect trap design is the second key goal of Claridge Traps. Entomologists have a long history of invention and tinkering with their equipment. Claridge Traps is continuing this tradition of innovation by constantly improving trap designs to make them more effective, easier to set up, and target different types of insects. At the same time, Claridge traps will always sell tried and true classics, like the standard Townes’ style Malaise trap, to ensure compatibility with previous studies.

Meet Brandon and Olivia Claridge

Brandon is a recent Ph.D. graduate, ichneumonid taxonomist, and avid insect collector. He studied ichneumonid diversity and evolution at Utah State University which now home to the collection of the inventor of the standard Malaise trap, Dr. Henry Townes. Brandon has extensive experience sampling insects with Malaise and light traps to throughout the western USA. His passion for studying insect diversity and experience as a collector is the driving force behind Claridge Traps.

Olivia is an experienced fashion designer with over a decade in the industry, having designed for brands like J. Crew, Coach, and Carters. Throughout her career, she has broadened her creative horizons to include photography, product development, and entomological trap designs. Olivia enjoys living in their northern Utah home with Brandon, along with their two cats and dog.