Dry Preservation of Insects

[Jason Green]

Hi all,

What's the best way of dry-preserving insects? I've heard a lot about card-mounting, etc. - but surely they would decompose/disintegrate fairly soon if the use of chemicals isn't part of it? I've never done this before, and currently have a couple of mosquitoes I'd like to mount.

Any tips on DRY preservation very much appreciated!

Take care,

Jason

[ChrisR]

As long as you keep dry specimens dry and pest-free (no museum beetles etc) then they will last for centuries. The huge collections of Victorian butterflies that you can see at places like the NHM have had nothing more in the way of preservatives than napthalene (moth-balls to prevent pests getting in - but now its use is discouraged in favour of regular freezing and climate-controlled, sealed cabinets).

[ChrisR]

Just a follow-up, the actual method of mounting the insect (direct pinning, card-mounts, staging, gluing etc.) largely depends on the kind of insect and the way that it is usually keyed. The aim of any mount should be to both protect the specimen AND make the relevant features visible to whoever is identifying it.

I discussed similar considerations in an article on my blog

[Jason Green]

As simple as that, then? Oh. I was just thinking about the occasional dead fly you see on a window ledge that appears to be the worse for wear. I suppose that's sunight day-in, day-out, and pests eating away at them leaving just a faded exoskeleton?

Today I found a Ceratopogonidae member. So I could really leave it as a 3D unflattened specimen glued on a slide for future use under my microscope/collection piece, so long as I perhaps keep it in a dark, sealed environment away from lights/pests?

Oh, and thanks for the reply

[ChrisR]

Originally Posted by Jason Green

As simple as that, then? Oh. I was just thinking about the occasional dead fly you see on a window ledge that appears to be the worse for wear. I suppose that's sunight day-in, day-out, and pests eating away at them leaving just a faded exoskeleton?

Basically, yes. If it's left on a window ledge or in a light fitting then they fade due to the light (that's why most insect collections are stored in dark cabinets) and in the open they get dusty and eaten by tiny scavenging insects - carpet/museum beetles & psocids etc.

Today I found a Ceratopogonidae member. So I could really leave it as a 3D unflattened specimen glued on a slide for future use under my microscope/collection piece, so long as I perhaps keep it in a dark, sealed environment away from lights/pests?

If you find dead, dry insects it's usually best to relax them first in a humid environment (to soften them) and then they will be flexible enough to manipulate and mount without damaging them ... then dry them back out again.

Not sure how people usually mount Ceratopogonidae (italics not required) but they might be slide-mounted or stored in alcohol if the genitalia are required and need to be soft or held in shape. The soft-bodied insects often dry up into unrecognizable dust but they might be pinned ... not really sure

If you fancy making a small collection of pinned specimens then you can make a fairly decent storage box from a clip-seal Tupperware plastic box with a layer of high-density foam (plastazote or alveolit) glued to the bottom. If the box doesn't seal perfectly then you can buy large zip-lock plastic bags on eBay and these are impermeable to pests. Good pins etc can be sourced from Watkins & Doncaster - they are not the cheapest but the quality is good and if you're not buying a lot of them then it won't matter.

Chris R.

[Fritillary]

Arghh I had almost finished of writing and all was erased!!
Again
I said I began to preserve insects as a part of a research. I found it is when sciences and art meet. I have also stuffed mammals (my pet rat, of course it died of natural causes).
1a) When the insect is alive, the human way to kill it is put into the freezer by some hours (3 hours -30 C) probably in home freezers you need to leave it longer. After that I leave it outside by 2 hours (to be sure it is really dead) and the insect is very soft like it would be alive, so you can pin it and put it in the position you want.

1b) If you find the insect already dead (and hard) you can use a relaxation chamber (sterilised sand + water + desinfectant and your insect in a small plate or petri dish, careful the insect must not touch water). After 24 hours the insect would be soft again and you can pin it.

2a) If the insect is big (+ 0.5 cm) you pin its body, if it is too small you should glue in a small card.

2b) If they are too small or delicate, you might put them in alcohol solution. Not sure I think 70 %.

3) Insects well preserved can stay like that by years and years. The important thing is they are in a closed place without dust, not exposition to light (or loss of colours) neither humid (or presence of mildiew) and to avoid living insects come into the boxes you could use some insecticide in a corner (moths ball).



I found an interesting information here
Queensland Museum - Insects - Preserving Insects - Dry Preservation - Small Insects
Collecting and Preserving Insects