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Insect Collecting
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Preserving & Displaying
Insects -
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Summary: Large
insects are generally pinned and displayed in
boxes whereas small, fragile specimens are usually
preserved in alcohol. A label should be attached
to every specimen that includes collection data
such as location and date, and a second label for
the scientific name once that determination is
made.
Jack DeAngelis, PhD
OSU Ext. Entomologist
(ret.)
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This is the second part of a two part
series on making an insect collection.
I'll describe some basic tools and techniques for
preserving and displaying insects. This is
intended mostly for kids, with adult
supervision, but will work for gardeners as
well who wish to make a reference collection. See
Capturing Insect Specimens
deals with methods and materials for catching
insects in good condition.
Collecting insects
Please note - the following
describes some procedures that may be dangerous
if done carelessly. Children should only
perform these activities with adult
supervision.
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Pinned cabbage butterfly. Photo
by Forest & Kim Starr, USGS,
www.forestryimages.org.
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Making an insect collection
The basic tools for displaying your
collection are pretty simple and inexpensive:
- foam-bottom display box or drawer
- insect pins
- spreading board and unit trays
- index cards and pencil or fine tip
permanent ink pen for making labels
- insect field guide(s)
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Displaying your insect collection
Insect collections are
usually stored in display boxes or "drawers" that
are fitted with foam bottoms that accept insect pins
(below). Display boxes can be as
inexpensive as a shoebox or as involved as a museum
quality "Cornell drawer". Museum
drawers are made of wood with a tight-fitting glass
top. They are made to a specific size so that they
fit into a case that can be tightly sealed. Many
amateur collectors simply stack drawers instead of
putting them in a case.
Insect pins hold the specimen as well as support tags
on which Collecting Data is written.
Insect pins are available in different sizes. Number
3 pins are are good standard size to have on hand.
Smaller sizes (2-000) are difficult to use because
they are easily bent.
Spreading boards are devices
used to pin moths and butterflies and other insects
with large, delicate wings. The insect's body is
placed in the groove of the board and the wings are
spread over the boards. Wings are held in place with
strips of paper until dry.
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Unit trays are small open-top boxes
that fit inside display drawers and are used to
organize specimens. Unit trays also have a soft,
foam bottom that easily accepts insect pins. A
typical setup might be something like 25 unit trays
(3"x3-1/2") per drawer. Unit trays come in a variety
of sizes.
Curating your insect collection
A hand lens should be standard equipment
for every insect collector and gardener. Get one
that is 10x or less and as large as possible in
diameter - 3/4" or larger. Magnifications over 10x
are difficult to use. The hand lens will be useful
as a substitute for a stereo-microscope when
preparing and identifying specimens (see Using
a Hand Lens).
Collections of dried insects can be damaged
by dermestid
beetles, and other insects, that use the
collection as food. This is serious concern in
museums world-wide and until recently the same
ingredients used in mothballs were used in museums
to ward off damaging insects. Most insect museums
today still have the very distinctive odor of
mothballs. Mothballs are no longer used because of
the hazard they pose for museum workers. Now, many
museums use cold treatments to sanitize drawers.
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