DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE RESEARCH & EXTENSION MP83 University of Arkansas System Making an Insect Collection *18 U.S.C. 707 University of Arkansas, United States Department of Agriculture and County Governments Cooperating CONTENTS Page Equipment for Collecting Insects . .3 How to Make Your Net . 3 How to Make Your Killing Jar . 4 Making a Pinning Block . 4 Making a Spreading Board . 4 Boxes . 4 Where to Collect Insects . 5 How to Mount and Preserve Your Collection . 5 How to Relax Dry Insects . 6 How to Label Insects . 6 Arranging in Box . 6 Identifying the Insects . 6 What Makes a Good Collection . .7 Suggestions for Making a Good Collection . 7 Protection of Collection From Insects . 7 Recommended for Arkansas 4-H by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Extension entomologists. DR. JOHN D. HOPKINS is associate professor and Extension entomologist, Little Rock, DR. GLENN STUDEBAKER is associate professor and Extension entomologist, Northeast Research and Extension Center, Keiser, DR. GUS M. LORENZ, III, is professor, Extension entomologist and IPM coordinator, Lonoke, and DR. KELLY M. LOFTIN is associate professor and Extension entomologist, Fayetteville. All are with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service. Gordon Barnes, Dr. Bill F. Jones and Dr. Donald R. Johnson, retired Extension entomologists, are authors of previous editions of this publication. MAKING AN INSECT COLLECTION By Dr. John D. Hopkins, Assistant Professor and Extension Entomologist, Dr. Glenn Studebaker, Assistant Professor and Extension Entomologist, Dr. Gus M. Lorenz, III, Professor, Extension Entomologist and IPM Coordinator, Dr. Kelly M. Loftin, Assistant Professor and Extension Entomologist, and Dr. Scott Akin, Assistant Professor and Extension Entomologist Insects are small invertebrate (lacking a The following things should be obtained by backbone) animals. They have all the body the beginner: processes of the higher animals (vertebrates) and are very interesting to study. Insects are classi­ 1. Insect net 4. Pinning block fied according to the following series of categories. 2. Killing jar 5. Spreading board An example of the classification of the housefly is 3. Insect pins 6. Storage boxes given below. and display boxes Kingdom Animal Class Insecta How to Make Your Net Order Diptera Family Muscidae To help in collecting insects, a sweep net is Genus Musca useful. It is especially useful in sweeping for Species domestica small insects. Sweep nets may be purchased or Describer Linnaeus made at home. A plan for making a sweep net is Common name house fly as follows: In some widely varying orders, there may be Equipment: a classification of suborder. Some families may 1. Small wooden handle, about 3 feet long have a classification category of superfamily (broom handle). and subfamily. 2. Smooth stiff wire 5 feet long (telephone wire). Insects make up the majority of the animal 3. A piece of cloth 3 x 5 feet (muslin or kingdom. In Arkansas alone there are probably mosquito netting). 20,000 different kinds of insects. It is important 4. Piece of fine wire to wrap wire hoop ends for anyone who wants to learn about the world to handle. around him to spend a considerable part of his time learning about insects. The best way to begin is by making a collection. Many insects are so distinctive that they are easily recognized at a distance. There are many others, however, which cannot be distinguished from their near relatives unless specimens of both are available together for comparison. This is the great value of a collection. You will find many of the insects which you lump together as “May beetles,” “houseflies” or “grasshoppers” are actually a mixture of many species, each with a Insect Collecting Net particular way of life. You will also find that every tiny flying insect is not a “gnat.” You will be amazed at the variety of insects you can find on On one end of the handle, cut two grooves your own farm, in your town or even in your own lengthwise on opposite sides the depth and back yard. the thickness of the wire. Make one groove 2 1/2 inches long and the other 3 1/2 inches long. Drill a small hole into the handle at the end of Equipment for each groove. Bend the wire to form a hoop. Collecting Insects Cut the cloth a triangular shape with the top circled. Hem the top and sew the sides together. A small amount of inexpensive equipment is Attach to the wire circle. Wire the hoop to necessary for collecting and mounting insects. the handle. 3 2. Two pieces 1/2 inch x 2 1/2 inches x 16 inches How to Make Your Own for the top pieces. These should be planed so Killing Jar that one side of each is sloped down to 3/8 inch thick. Any jar or large-mouthed bottle with a tight lid makes a good killing bottle. Chips of rubber, 3. One strip of balsa wood, styrofoam, cork or sponge, celotex, cotton or similar absorbent other soft material 1/2 inch x 1 inch material should be placed in the bottom of the jar. x 14 inches for the pinning strip A piece of corrugated cardboard should be cut the in the bottom of the slot. size of the bottom of the jar and placed over the 4. A pinning board may be chips to keep them in place. The bottle should be made from styrofoam charged as needed with killing agent. Many of the by cutting a slot. volatile chemicals are effective. The moth body is placed in the slots and wings spread. Boxes Cigar boxes or similar type boxes with corrugated board placed in the bottoms make Insect Killing Bottle good collecting and storage boxes. Exhibit or dis­ play boxes can be purchased or made. Arkansas collections should be exhibited or displayed in a Making a Pinning Block box 18 inches x 24 inches x 2 5/8 inches with a plexiglas top. A pinning block is used to get the insect and Bill of Materials labels at the same height on each pin. A pinning block may be made from a single piece of wood 1 piece masonite 18" x 24" 1 inch square and 4 inches long or by gluing 2 side pieces 1" x 2 5/8" x 24" – grooved several 1/4-inch by 1-inch pieces together to form 1 end piece 1" x 2 5/8" x 16 1/2" – grooved 1-inch square steps, 1/4 inch, 1/2 inch, 3/4 inch 1 end piece 1" x 2 1/4" x 16 1/2" and 1 inch thick. Small holes just large enough 1 end piece 1" x 3/8" x 16 1/2" – grooved for the head of the insect pin to slip through are 1 piece styrofoam or celotex, 1/2" x 16 1/2" x 22 5/8" bored through the center of each step. 10 screws 10 flat head box nails 1 piece plexiglas 17" x 23 1/2" The two side pieces and one end piece are grooved 1/8" wide and 1/4" deep 1/4" down from inside the top. The end piece 1" x 3/8" x 16 1/2" has a groove on one side 1/8" x 1/4" to fit over plexiglas to hold it in place. 1/2” styrofoam Sides and one Making a Spreading Board or celotex fit in end grooved 1/8” 1” x 3/8” x bottom wide, 1/4” deep 16 1/2” end and 1/4” from top To spread the wings of moths and butterflies with groove edge until they dry, a spreading board is needed. Several sizes of spreading boards are used by the 18” total width professional. For most insects, a good spreading plexiglass board can be made. The bill of materials for a spreading board is: 2 5/8” total height End 2 1/4” height for plexi- 24” length 1. Two pieces 5 1/2 inches long and 1 inch glass to slip square for the ends. into groove masonite bottom 4 leafhoppers, flies, stoneflies, mayflies, Where to Collect Insects caddisflies. Insects may be collected at any time during 8. Weeds and flowers along roadside: the year. There is at least one species or kind of grasshoppers, stink bugs, beetles, scorpion insect that feeds or lives on every kind of plant, flies, treehoppers, tree crickets, wasps, bees, mammal and bird. Some plants support many dif­ butterflies, blister beetles. ferent kinds of insects. The more places insects are collected, the larger and more varied the collection 9. Special places: is likely to be. The following insect habitats can be A. Boards and stones: ants, termites, beetles, used as a guide to making a collection: crickets, springtails. B. Lights at night: moths, beetles, lacewings, 1. Pastures: grasshoppers, butterflies, tree praying mantis, katydids, jarflies, crickets, walkingsticks, leafhoppers, beetles, dobsonflies, assassin bugs, giant water crane flies, wasps. bugs, caddisflies, mayflies, stoneflies. 2. Cultivated plants: butterflies, beetles, C. Greenhouses: plant lice, thrips, earwigs. squash bugs, stink bugs and many other D. Dead or decaying bodies of animals: rove injurious insects. beetles and other scavengers. 3. Woodlands: A. Foliage of trees and shrubs: beetles, wasps, praying mantis, walkingstick. B. Decayed logs and stumps: beetles, How to Mount and Preserve termites, ants. Your Collection C. Loose bark of logs and stumps: beetles, wasps, cockroaches, springtails. A display collection should contain only adult D. Sap of freshly cut trees: moths, wasps, insects. All insects must be pinned or glued to beetles. small card triangles. E. Under damp leaves: springtails, beetles, Insects should be mounted on regular insect leafhoppers, beetles.