Insect Pinning the bug box
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- Опубликовано: 18 июл 2017
- A tutorial on pinning insects for insect collections.
Links for pinning materials -
amzn.to/2wl2gdw - Size 2 pins
amzn.to/2vVIdkH - Featherweight forceps
amzn.to/2v2L3FV - Insect net
amzn.to/2wkkLOZ - Rubbing alcohol
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Country Cue 1 by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: audionautix.com/
![Beetles, Mites, Cockroaches Oh My! [Insect Collection Tour]](/img/1.gif)
good lord when you yelped like the ovipositor stung you it made me jump out of my skin (despite already knowing ovipositors cant really sting unless youre a queen bee)
Magik I jumped even though I had read the comments and was prepared =))
Your enthusiasm and passion is contagious.
+Jay Sav thank you Jay Sav
2:20 Why did that make me jump lol
That scared the crap out of me
I just witnessed Darwin giving an insect pinning tutorial!
I just got my NYS teaching certification and I am starting an insect collection to hang in my new classroom! I can't wait to have a talking point for the kids to get excited for science and biology
Hello, the students will really enjoy looking through your collection. They will never run out of questions looking at insects.
good lord that’s the most majestic beard i’ve ever seen
Thank you, I have enjoyed growing a beard.
I love your collection!❤️I have a collection of insects I caught over the years. I embed them in resin on my Vids.
You got me I jumped lol
Brother, your beard is the stuff of legend!
Thank you
Well done! (Graduate insect ecology student here 😊)
Thank you very much for the tutorial and the advice Mr. Glassford!
+Ken Marsche you are welcome
thanks santa!
Omg if you made a whole video dedicated to the pronunciation of that wasp, that'd be awesome 😂 I can NEVER remember how to say it.
Stumbled on her randomly, pretty cool collection! I'm starting out pinning, but I've collected many many Bald Face hornets amd cast them in resin, mixed results. I have a deer fly, a large, female bald face hornet, two full bald face hornets nests, and some carpenter bees that I'm hoping to try today.
Really good video, and it's good to know that the sense of humor carries over for fellow entomologists.
Hey Curtis good luck with the resin mixture. I have spent much of my life with junior high students and they are some of the most funny and refreshing scientist. Wish I would have written down all the funny things they said.
Update: resin was a bad idea, but I did have the opportunity to pin a Polyphemus moth, which my cat then totally destroyed. Still have an Asain Forest Scorpion that died, and an endless supply of Hissing roaches, and I've finally branched into rearing Sphinx moths with mixed results thus far concerning the worms, but I have one chrysalis awaiting hatching.
Just got 2 praying mantises and 3 tarantulas! Im so happy!!
May I ask how you prepared the mantids? I keep them as pets, I've got a girl out on the way and I want to preserve her
I feel like mantid abdomens would decompose fairly quickly
so this is what fredrich engels was up to for this whole time...
I love that beginning
This was such a helpful video, could you make one how to pull their wings out ?? If not that’s perfectly done
Yes will make a step by step on spreading insect wings. Best of luck
4:48
_Blattodea and Diptera have entered the chat_
I love you’re content !
Thank you I hope to provide much more in the future.
Very nice! Thank you!
Great video! Do you take out the visceral parts? I once had many tiny worms coming out of a beetle specimen and contaminated my other specimen nearby. Any tips on preventing it on the first place? and that beetle was forzen for three days before I took out and pin it. Thanks.
Hello Andy, once the insect has been pinned the internal parts will dry up and normally do not present a problem. There are insects that enjoy eating dead insects. The beetle larvae will consume the dried internal organs and you will see a powder under the insect. They will destroy the insect, pupate emerge as a adult, mate lay eggs and the cycle will continue. There are different substances you can use to deter them from consuming your insects. I check my collection often and if I notice any powder we will remove or place the insect in a pin box and put in a freezer designated for insects. The freezing temperature will kill any larvae in the insect and I can return to my collection. I have not had any other organisms get to my preserved specimens. I hope this helps. Mr. G
I’m 15. And love insects and nature in general. I wish more kids in my generation understood these amazing creatures. Would be awesome
Many high schools have science clubs. Talk with your teachers about starting an entomology club. Most likely you have some outreach programs lead by local collages. Hope you can find a group to share your passion of arthropods.
I love this and I will be watching more. I'm starting my personal collection partly for fun but I also will be doing this for class later. I'm a fisheries and wildlife junior at the university of Missouri. Would you talk about the boxes you're supposed to put them in and cheap alternatives that will still suffice. I know some insects will come in and eat the dead insects. I've heard you can get a box and put some type of insecticide on the lining of the top to keep those insects out. If so, could you teach us about it?
Good question, I like using wooden insect boxes that have a tight fitting glass framed top. I get mine from local universities that are surplusing older insect boxes. I use shoe boxes with styrofoam in the bottom for temporary boxes. Occasionally I will put a shoe box with insects in the freezer if I need to kill any insects that might destroy the collection. This will kill the little buggers. I hope this helps. Good luck with your collection.
I must ask, why do you pin the insect slightly to the right, instead of in the middle?
Great question... it gives us one side without any physical damage to view for structural comparison and identification.
pinning is giving me such a hard time 😩my prof has us kill our specimens by freezing them which seems to make them extra brittle
I use the freezer with certain insects but do no leave them in the freezer for very long. The self defrosting freezers of today tend to dry the insects more than those of years gone by. Make sure you give the insects time to thaw before pinning them. If you try and pin the insect right after removing from the freezer it will appear brittle but just needs to thaw. Best of luck
Leave your insects in a good freezer for at least 24 hours to ensure the specimen is dead. Insects will enter biopause as the temperature drops and I’ve had specimens ‘come round’ upon exiting the freezer. You wouldn’t want to pin a live specimen so I always just double check by placing specimens in a small kill jar with ethyl acetate after removing from the freezer.
Lol you got me! Thanks for the great advice
I had headphones on and it scared the hell out of me
How long does it take them to die after being dumped in alcohol
It varies depending on the type of insect but overall they die very fast. Faster than preserving them in the freezer.
Love the video 👍 what subject do you teach?
I taught Honors Biology for 30 years. Retired a few years ago but still teach through video and occasional guest instructor.
How long can you leave them in the rubbing alcohol?
+Kristin Smith they can stay in rubbing alcohol for years. Make sure to use 70% or greater. If it becomes discolored replace the rubbing alcohol. Best of luck, Mr.G
Richard Glassford II thank you.
Fantastic video, thank you!
If I have a beetle that died in my care and dried out, can I put it in rubbing alcohol to rehydrate it or does that not work?
Should I just go the rehydration chamber route?
Hello, I usually try the rubbing alcohol to rehydrate but most often if it is too dry I will point the insect. Pointing is when you carefully glue the insect onto a small triangular piece of card stock. I find it works quite well. Thanks for watching.
Thank you very much for your reply!
I will try that first and see how I go then maybe look into the pointing method!
I really appreciate your help, thank you!
Your welcome, best of luck.
Do ur beard hairs ever get glued to your bugs
Not yet, Ha ha ha
I'm a student at Utah State University working towards an entomology graduate degree, are you located in Utah? I'd love to get together and talk bugs!
I have a question. I've got a rhino beetle that I've rehydrated and pinned, and this is my first time pinning an insect. How long do I let the specimen dry before removing the pins for display?
Hello, very nice...make sure it is dry before moving. With the mass of these insects air circulation around the insect is important. I have opened student boxes with insects rotting because they pinned and closed the box. I would give it 5-7 days (depending on size) before moving. Careful that the legs do not get stuck to the material it is resting on. Best of luck in your adventures.
Does anyone know the name of the actual bug box? Or is that a DIY?
Cornell University Drawers, contact local museums to see if they are selling any of there old insect drawers. They upgrade and sell boxes over time. Best of luck, Mr. G
@@havlochii Alright thanks for the info. 👍
Hi,
I'm being somehow attracted to entomology lately and getting myself into it little by little.
What are the ethics behind killing insects for display?
I assume that probably taking samples of insects isn't that ecologically damaging due to their numbers of individuals. But want to know if there's something else I should know
Fernando Perez
You can research threatened insects in your country. They aren’t just killed for display, they are killed for study as well. You can also lab raise them and if you are lucky, some turn up dead
It would be important to know if there are any endangered insect species in the area you are collecting. Also depending on the country there are laws that protect certain areas from collecting any biotic (living) or abiotic (nonliving) materials. In our area National Parks, State Parks are a few examples of areas that the public cannot collect. If a student is working with a Univiersity specific permits can be applied for and limited access can be granted for specific scientific research. In protected areas I take a lot of images. It more difficult but I enjoy using the image in my study of biodiversity. I hope this helps. Best of luck in your endeavors. Mr. G
where do you get the sealed boxes to put the insect in?
Check with a local college biology /entomology department. When they upgrade collections they surplus older insect drawers, can be a good price.
How to pin a weevil? Its so hard.
Hello Mark, Weevils have extremely hard exoskeletons and their size and shape can also be problematic. I place the beetle on the Styrofoam and hold it in place with a pair of forceps/tweezers. This will help keep the beetle secure while you pin the insect. If the beetle is small sometimes I will point the insect on a piece of cardstock. I hope this answered your question. Best of luck with our collections.
Duuuuude , i think i did something wrong
I put 4 insects in the alcohol, but after 1 week i found out that one insect ate all of them and it became giant , that was really scary
mohamed biize
What demon insect did you put there
How do you do ants?
Hello, I preserve my ants in glass viles filled with rubbing alcohol or mount them on a point.....piece of card stock.
Hello there! A quick question, Do you kill you insects before you preserve them? Or do you find them already dead? If you do kill them, how do you do it?
Hello Chloe, to have accurate records as when the insect is present in the environment I collect it alive and preserve the insect in one of three ways. First you can mimic winter by putting the insect in the freezer for a few days, thaw before pinning. Just make sure you put it in a container that will protect the insect while it goes through the artificial winter. Before pinning you want to let it thaw and become flexible. If you pin too soon the insect will brake when pinning. Second you can use rubbing alcohol (parent permission if you are a younger student), I use 70% rubbing alcohol. Some entomology classes make a special kill jar to place the insect in before pinning. It is a jar with a special plaster combination and various chemicals can be used in the bottom for killing the insect. I used one of these in college but prefer using the freezer or rubbing alcohol. In all of the above examples the insect is placed in the container alive. I hope this answers your question. Enjoy your journey, Mr. G
Love sting joke😝
Glad you liked it, thanks for watching my video. Best of luck in your endeavors.
For how many hours Or days we can preserve insect in alcohol before pinning them?
I have left insects in alcohol for months and then mounted them on a pin. If the alcohol becomes discolored you might have to replace the fluid to keep the specimen in the best condition. Insects are stored in museums for years in rubbing alcohol (70 -90%) .
How long these pinned insects stay good, without rotten
I have insects that are 35 years old and in perfect condition. Insects are invertebrates and their exoskeletons keep their shape. This outside covering will remain hard while the internal organs will dry up. As long as the insects are protected they should last a very long time. Once the specimen is pined and dried no one should touch the actual specimen. They are very brittle and can easily break. With practice students can learn to view and study the specimens without damaging collections. It is very important to pin the insect properly giving room to hold the top of the pin without ones fingers touching the insect. I hope this helps.
Why do we pin off to the right?
Great question: We pin off to the right side to preserve the bottom surface (ventral). If we place the pin down the middle it can damage both lateral sides making it more difficult or impossible to identify the specimen. Best practice would be to place the pin offset slightly to the right making sure the insect is level and placed high enough on the pin for labels. Thanks for watching, enjoy your study of Earth's Biodiversity.
Help! My specimen seems to be infested by ants. What did I do wrong?
Blue S P
You should let them dry out, and put moth balls near them
Hello, do you exchange specimens?
I have with my students over the years and with a local University.
@@havlochii I can offer you specimens from Greece and I am interested for common species
I've been watching alot of bug pinning tutorials and getting ideas online. I definitely want to overcome my fear of bugs. I'd like to make a nice museum replica of a display of bugs. Incased in a wooden box with a glass top. Hanging it on the wall. I have wet specimens. I love this kinda stuff this was helpful.
Check with your local museums to see if they have any older wooden cases with glass display tops... they might be willing to sell.
🎅
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LOL
I found a dead June beetle and I want to pin it help idk what to do should I freeze it put it in alcohol??
Freeze, thaw and pin. They are very interesting critters. Good luck. Mr. G
Ual eu sou brasileiro
Enjoy the great biodiversity you have in your area. I hope to visit your country someday.