How to Identify Bugs in a Collection

Identifying spiders, insects and other creepy crawlers can be more than just interesting and rewarding. Bug identification can add value to your collection. By learning how to identify bugs in a collection, you can ascertain how bugs live and what they eat. Once you identify the bugs in your collection, you may even want to share your finds with other bug enthusiasts.

Things You'll Need

• Insect identification book
• Pen or pencil

Instructions

Add an Insect to Your Collection

1. Capture the bug you want to add to your collection using a kill jar. Take care to avoid damaging its body.

2. Wait until your bug is dead and remove it from the jar.

3. Pin the insect to the mounting surface.

Identify a Bug in Your Collection

1. Secure a book or chart for identifying bugs, such as the 'National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders' (see Resources below).

2. Observe your bug's physical appearance. Write down your observations, including the number of body sections, number of legs, body coloring and existence of pincers.

3. Use a book, website or chart to compare your bug's appearance with the illustrations and descriptions of bugs in your resource.

4. Identify and label your bug.

Determine Whether Your Bug Is an Insect

1. Learn common insect anatomy. An insect usually has six legs and three body parts.

2. Look for a head, thorax and abdomen. If your bug has these body parts and six legs, it may very well be an insect.

Determine If Your Bug Is an Arachnid

1. Look for a two-part body. An arachnid's body consists of an anterior (front) and a posterior (back) section.

2. Examine the anterior portion of your bug's body. If it is an arachnid, its mouth and sense organs will be part of its anterior. This section of its body will also contain pairs of limbs.

3. Observe your bug's legs. If it is an arachnid, it may have four legs for walking and one pair that is used as pincers. Some arachnids have a second pair of pincers, as well.

Tips & Warnings

• Be aware that some insects don't have typical insect characteristics until they reach adulthood. This can make identifying immature insects challenging.

• Exercise caution when handling bugs, especially bees and brightly colored creepy crawlers. Some inflict painful, and potentially dangerous, bites or stings.

• Shake the killing jar gently before you remove your bug to be sure it is really dead.

Resources

• Amazon for the 'National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders'