How to Preserve Soft-Bodied Insects

Soft-bodied insects include worms and larvae as well as insects like aphids or silverfish whose bodies lack a hard exoskeleton. Unlike hard-bodied insects, they cannot normally be pinned on a board. Instead, you must preserve them in liquids held in glass vials, which will allow you to examine them without their bodies shriveling or decomposing.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Jar or glass with a cover
• Plastic vials
• Paper
• Plastic wrap
• Rubber band
• Ethanol alcohol or rubbing alcohol
• Labels
• Marker

1. Identify the soft-bodied insect you wish to preserve and find a good live specimen for your use.
2. Trap the insect by placing a jar or large glass over it, then slide a thin piece of paper carefully under the glass so that the insect does not escape. If you are in the wilderness, consider using plastic vials instead of glasses or jars, since they are far less likely to break.
3. Flip the glass over so that the soft-bodied insect is on the bottom of the glass (you may need to tap the paper gently to dislodge it) and seal the top with a cover or with plastic wrap and a rubber band.
4. Place the glass or jar in a refrigerator for 1 or 2 hours. That should kill any soft-bodied insect without causing it to become shriveled or discolored.
5. Move the insect to a smaller vial, the one you wish to preserve it in. It will make it a little easier to finish preserving it.
6. Add alcohol or preserving fluid to the vial. Experts recommend a mixture of 70 percent ethyl alcohol and 30 percent purified water. You can also use isopropyl alcohol, which is the type found in simple rubbing alcohol. It's not quite as effective, but will do the job perfectly well for an enthusiastic amateur.
7. Seal the vial with a rubber stopper and ensure that it is airtight. You want as little air as possible to get in because it might ruin the specimen.
8. Place a label on the vial, and mark it with the species and genus of the soft-bodied insect inside. You should make sure that you can still see the insect through the vial, and you may also wish to note whether the specimen is in a larval or pupae stage.

Tips & Warnings

• Always keep soft-bodied insects out of the sunlight in order to preserve their color. Direct sunlight may cause them to fade and blacken, which will ruin their value as specimens.