We've been pinning bugs now for two years, and it's a hobby the whole house has grown to love. In this years collecting season 2014 we are going to make a major change in our collection process. So far, our 200 insects have all been collected already dead or injured. Injured bugs would then go into a kill jar or the freezer. I have not collected any live insects and intentionally killed them for our collection. All winter - because the Polar Vortex this year gave Chicago and exceptionally long 6 month season - I've been reading about bug collecting. I've found great blogs by other collectors, real entomologists, and research students and lab techs. The information is consuming!! I can't get enough.
My two convincing points to collect are:
1. "The case for collecting." If your interested read this article for yourself. It explains in good perspective on the sheer volume of insects in the world, and how there is so so so much to still be learned on the subject.
2. As an avid gardener, the 2013 tomato season stunk! Many of my plants didn't produce fruit! This was an issue area wide in Chicagoland, even stories making the news. One big reason is the bee population and the perceived decline. Gardened turn to expert entomologists and bee harvesters to understand the rapid decline in bee pollution.
3. The unknown!! Each year national geographic posts an article on new species found that year. Insect hunters, also find new species, and learn countless amount of scientific information from this tiny world. However the information is extensive and there simply aren't enough entomologists to capture everything. So, often private collectors often find new information and pass it along to the experts.
4. Lastly, access. This hobby is completely accessible, to me, my kids, and our family who we engage in it. It's low cost, and I didn't buy any special tools until last year, because I wanted to label our bugs as correctly to the proper way as possible (my detail orientation I guess took over).
Here is my first live big collected: a House Centipede
How to pin a Bug - learn more at areyousureaboutthatblog.blogspot.com
Steps In Photos:
This house centipede was found climbing the curtain in my daughters room. I sill get a little creeped out when I first spot an insect, but my reaction quickly passes and I went into collecting mode.
What you'll need:
- A plastic or glass collection jar - to put the bug in.
- something flat and firm to slide under the bug and trap in the jar.
- a kill jar (learn how to make one here or here) or access to a freezer (method which I used).
- styrofoam
- pins (depending on our level of collecting, you can use straight pins from home or purchase pins designed or pinning bugs that are museum grade)
- tweezers, optional
- clear nail polish or Elmer's all white school glue PVA. Learn more about glues here, and Elmer's glue for bugs here.
- box with secure air tight lid for storage and curing (we use Tupperware)
- bug storage box (we used Ferraro Roche chocolate boxes for our straight pins, but now we have shadow boxes for our bug pins).
- lead pencil and paper for labeling (we use all cotton rag paper, but standard white paper will due). Pencil or a printed label. However I find labeling as we go is easier for us.
1. Collection
I grabbed my collection jar to trap him, and slid a stiff paper inbetween him an the curtain for the capture.
2. Preparation
I chose to freeze him instead of the kill jar. He had amazing black and white spotted color on his legs, his body was black to brown. I had read a post about how freezing helps maintain the original color and the specimen won't fade as much. I'm sad to say his colors did fade and the spots darkened.
3. Thawing (not necessary when using a kill jar)
I removed him from the freezer after 24-hours. 4 hours freezing is generally sufficient for an insect this size. They fall asleep from the cold before death sets in. However I didn't want to risk him waking up.
Here he is moved from the jar to a clear box to thaw or an hour or so. I used tweezers to gently try to stretch his legs to see if he's thawed out. Specimens are delicate, don't force the legs to move or they'll break of and you'll have repairs to do. Sometimes patience is your best tool.
Once thawed he moved to a piece of styrofoam, above are my size 002 pins and my pinning block (pins and pin block were purchased from bioquip for following correct pinning procedures).
4. The First Pin
Pinning bugs is a process. I still have my gross out moments, even when the bug is dead. So I just keep telling myself, it's dead. And our collection will be nicer with him in it.
Using tweezers I turned him abdomen down, using his leg to flip him.
Here he's moved to my bigger piece of styrofoam working area. Our Jamaica bugs are still curing in the background.
Inserting the pin is easy. Over time you'll learn mistakes are fixable! Here he's bending at the pin head first enters the exoskeleton. I pinch the top of the pin with my finger tips so I dot push the pin in too deep. I lifted him out of the styrofoam on the pin to check he's level.
Tip to Level Bugs on the Pin / Proper bug Position: Over time as you pin more bugs, you'll "feel" two punctures through the exoskeleton. The top first puncture and then a second push though the bottom of the exoskeleton. If you bug isn't level, over time, you'll see you can pull the pin our of the second puncture
to reposition your pin, and push through again.
Then our bug is put on the pinning block, the first level is for the proper insect height position on the pin, levels 2 & 3 are for the proper label position.
5. Staging / Positioning the Legs
You do not have to stage the legs. Entomologists do so they get a clear look at the insects details, however home collectors don't have to do this. Especially depending on the volume of bugs your dealing with. You'll have time to stage maybe 10 bugs from collecting at the park, but an afternoon netting or black lighting with 100 bugs is rather time consuming, so pick your time commitment.
I'm a bit detail oriented. So I take my time positioning the legs, each and every one. I have become quick in learning techniques to help with stubborn legs that keep bending, raising the insects head, and staging antennae.
