How to Collect Insects for Display
Collecting insects can be an exciting and educational pastime. Insects are 6-legged creatures and belong to the class Hexapoda in the phylum Arthropoda. They have an exoskeleton and three distinct segments: the head, thorax and abdomen. These creatures are fascinating to study since they represent such a wide variety of form and life-style.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Insect net
- Killing jar
- Tweezers
- Specimen jars
- Insect pins
- Insect labels
- Display case
Instructions
-
-
1
Collect an insect. To collect an insect you will need an insect net, a number of small specimen jars and a killing jar. To make sure that it is dead, leave the insect in the jar for at least one hour. When ready, place the insect into a specimen jar. Collect the insects where they live, on flowers, leaves, bushes, trees, under leaf litter and in the air. Look carefully around, above and below all of these objects because insects are often very difficult to see.
-
2
Pin the insect. To pin an insect you will need a supply of insect pins and tweezers. Pick up the insect with your thumb and forefinger, holding it by its sides. Push the pin straight through the top surface making sure that it is vertical. Leave enough space at the top of the pin so that it can be handled without touching the specimen. There are specific locations where each order of insect should be pinned. For more information, see the resources below.
-
-
3
Label the specimen. There should be two labels on each pin. The top label is the identification label and the lower label is the location label. The identification label contains the scientific name of the insect and its order. The location label contains the date and where the sample was collected. They should read left to right with respect to the head and be parallel to the insect's body. The labels can be written in black ink or prepared on a computer. The insects can be mounted in a standard display case.
-
1
