With the purpose to determine the periodicity in the drift of aquatic insects during a cycle of 16 hours, in a section of the Gatú River, Veraguas, Panama, samples were taken once a week, during the months of February, March and April of 2017, with a total of 13 tours. For the collection of aquatic insects in drift traps were used, with an area of 0.176m² and 500?m of mesh eye, placed against the current. Drift traps remained submerged during the entire sampling period and were vacated every four hours: from 06:00 to 10:00 h.; from 10:00 to 14:00 h.; from 14:00 to 18:00 h.; from 18:00 to 22:00 h., for a total of eight samples per day of collection. A total of 1 935 aquatic insects were collected, distributed in 9 orders, 27 families and 48 genera. The greatest abundance of insects in the drift in the studied section of the Gatú river, was recorded in the from 06:00 to 10:00 h. and from 18:00 to 22:00 h.