What is a butterfly collector called? What you need to create a beautiful collection

Many people suffer from collecting insects in childhood. Not everyone succeeds: some become entomologists and do this for the rest of their lives. A collection of insects, even collected by an amateur, can have scientific value. But to do this, when collecting it, you need to follow some rules.

Peter Petrov

Laboratory assistant at the Department of Entomology, Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov, a specialist in swimming beetles. For many years he has been conducting summer field practice in entomology for students in the bioclass of Moscow Gymnasium No. 1543. He has translated 12 popular science books into Russian, including a collection of essays by Richard Dawkins “The Devil’s Chaplain.”

There are a lot of insects in the world, more than a million species, so to study them it is useful to focus on one group. For example, on beetles (many professional entomologists specialize in only one family from the order of beetles - such a large order). Or on bedbugs. Or butterflies... Although collecting butterflies is a special art.

To seriously study insects, unfortunately, they have to be killed. But let us remember that every time we run on the grass, we crush them in abundance. That is, killing a few insects for the sake of studying them is no more reprehensible than running across the lawn.

Who collects such collections and why?

First, let's figure out what a butterfly collector is called. Everything here is quite simple, although it is difficult to pronounce this term - lepidopterophilist. So, if you want to seriously engage in such a hobby, you will have to practice in order to pronounce your new status without hesitation.

It is also clear why a butterfly collector is engaged in this business. Still, not many representatives of the fauna on the planet can boast of such diversity and beauty as these insects. True, their beauty is short-lived - some butterflies live only a few days, or even hours. There are breeds that don’t even have a mouth, since they never have to eat once in their entire lives. But under glass, these fluttering flowers can be preserved for many years and even decades. In addition, this is a great way to learn more about wildlife. Therefore, this hobby can be recommended to both adults and children. Of course, there is a lot to know before you do it.

What is the name of the collection of dried insects and butterflies?

Collection of dried insects, butterflies
A collection of dried insects is called an entomological collection. It should be noted that specimens are pinned with a special pin and selected for certain distinctive features. They are stored in special boxes. Collecting butterflies is called lepidopterophilia.

Do not under any circumstances call an entomological collection a herbarium, since this concept applies only to plants.

Spreading butterflies

For spreading butterflies, I sell various boards made of linden wood and equipped with recesses of various depths and widths, designed for butterflies of various sizes.

The butterfly is placed in a recess of the appropriate size, its wings are carefully and carefully straightened, narrow strips of paper are secured on them with pins and left until the butterfly is completely dry.

How to catch insects for collection: recommendations

Catching insects for collection

Collecting an entomological collection is possible only for the purpose of expanding the knowledge of young naturalists. As for chasing insects for fun, this is strictly prohibited. In general, children collect butterflies, beetles and other common insects that can be encountered during walks. How to catch insects for collection?

Here are important nuances and recommendations for a young or adult collector:

You should not dress in the latest fashion - clothes should be simple and comfortable.
Particular attention should be paid to shoes. Ideally, it should protect your feet from cold and dampness. Wear resistance is also important.
The headgear should not distract from fishing or fall off during a fast run. It is inconvenient to hold it with your hands.

It is important to know the time:

It is better to catch insects in May and June.
However, there are some species that are found towards the end of summer.
It is best to choose the afternoon hours, since most insects fly in the hottest time, after lunch.

Let's say moths hide when the sun goes down. If the insects are nocturnal, of course, they are caught after sunset. It is very easy to catch insects before a thunderstorm. The air is stuffy, and the stuffiness forces them to leave their shelters.

The better way to catch butterflies and other beetles, mosquitoes, moths and so on:

As a rule, naturalists use special nets.
A stick serves as support.
This net is a strong wire circle with a diameter of about 30 cm . Attached to it is a cone-shaped bag made of lightweight fabric.

How to catch an insect:

You should approach carefully.
The shadow should be behind the insect, and not in front - otherwise it will slip away.
The net should be cast quickly and accurately, surrounding the insect and preventing it from escaping.
In addition to the mesh, there must be scissors made of strong iron wire.

Where are butterflies, beetles, moths, mosquitoes and other “bugs” with wings found:

Often these are fields, the edge of a forest with flowers, meadows, etc.
Moths can be caught as dusk approaches. Then there are swarms of small midges.
You can attract butterflies by watering the branches of a tree with a mixture of honey, water and white beer or sugar water.

They should gather on one of the branches and this will make it easier to catch them. Watch a video of how Canadian scientists catch insects using convenient and interesting methods:

Domestic insects: photos and names of parasites that can live in an apartment

More than 15 types of household pests coexist in human homes. The existence of some varieties goes unnoticed for years, while others can seriously complicate life.

There are domestic insects that settle in an apartment temporarily, but other species require the constant presence of humans. They spoil food and things, feed on blood and particles of human skin.

Getting rid of uninvited guests from your home is not easy, but it is possible if you know what kind of parasites you have and what they are afraid of.

Flying insects and fighting them

There is an opinion that insects breed in apartments in unsanitary conditions, but this is not entirely true. Sometimes even clean and tidy people face this problem. In apartment buildings, pests crawl from neighbors; they are brought with things from a hospital, sanatorium, or hotel. In a private home, the appearance of insects is facilitated by dampness and the presence of animals, including rodents.

Mosquitoes and flies

Mosquito lays eggs

Mosquitoes do not live in houses permanently; they spend most of their lives outside. Only females feed on human blood, after which they leave the house and fly away to lay eggs (see.

photo). There are a large number of mosquitoes, whose bite poses a danger to human life and health. Fortunately, these do not happen in central Russia; they can be found in some regions of Asia and Africa.

Today there are various mosquito repellents on sale:

electric fumigators;
ointments and creams;
sprays.

Mosquitoes settle near water sources, so they are more common in damp country houses or near bodies of water. In high-rise buildings with flooded basements, domestic biting parasites are constantly present, periodically entering living quarters through ventilation.

Flies are no less often found in the house, especially if there are animals in it. These insects lay eggs in excrement and food debris and are carriers of dangerous diseases. They do not bite humans, but carry pathogens of various infections and infect food with helminth eggs.

Flies also breed in large numbers in basements, from where they enter living spaces. It’s not difficult to get rid of them if you keep your house clean and tidy, wash dishes on time, and throw out food waste in a timely manner. Hanging adhesive tapes, using “Dichlorvos” and “Raptor” in the form of a spray, and fumigators help a lot.

Fruit flies

Drosophila fly

Almost everyone has seen flying black midges in the kitchen, but not everyone knows their name and the reason for their appearance. These are Drosophila fruit flies (see photo), they are attracted by the smell of rotten fruits and vegetables, fermented compote or jam. A trash can that is not taken out on time, leftover food on the table and dirty dishes in the sink also attract these insects.

They do not pose any danger, but their very presence is unpleasant to many. To get rid of fruit flies, you need to destroy everything that attracts them - spoiled vegetables and fruits, rotting food waste, fermented drinks, jams and other homemade preparations. Since their “food supply” (and egg-laying sites) will disappear, the insects themselves will disappear.

Clothes, fur, carpet, grain moth

In nature, there are many species of moths, the representatives of which feed not only on wool or fur products, but also on flour, cereals and other groceries. They damage curtains, upholstery, and carpets.

Adults do not cause harm to humans, unlike the larvae of these insects. If you destroy the moth flying around the apartment, then such a fight will be of no use.

The moth lays eggs in wardrobes or kitchen cabinets, and after 7–37 days harmful larvae appear.

In a short time, moths can ruin many things and products, and folk remedies against them are ineffective. Putting sachets of lavender and other aromatic herbs in the closet is only suitable for prevention. Clothes, fur coat and carpet moths, which live in closets and fleecy floor coverings, are afraid of insecticides or exposure to temperature.

In closets with clothes you will have to place Antimol, Mosquitoll tablets or Raptor plates. Wipe doors and shelves with a solution of ammonia and water in a ratio of 1:5. Moth larvae do not like direct sunlight, so in clear weather it is better to take things and carpets outside. A steam generator is used to clean furniture, curtains and carpets, and heavily damaged items are thrown away.

Parasites in beds and clothes and methods for their destruction

Perhaps the most unpleasant and dangerous parasites for humans are blood-sucking insects: bedbugs and body lice. They feed on human blood and cannot exist away from people.

It is very difficult to destroy such insects; they often become carriers of diseases such as hepatitis B, pulicosis, salmonellosis, and tularemia.

The constant presence of biting insects, lice or bedbugs in the bed can cause nervous breakdown and sleep disturbances.

Bed bugs

These are domestic blood-sucking insects that cannot exist without humans. Bedbugs bite more often at night because they are afraid of bright light. If in the morning black spots and traces of blood are visible on the laundry, this indicates the presence of bedbugs in the house.

It is not difficult to detect them; just lift the mattress on the bed or carefully examine the folds of the furniture upholstery. According to the description, the insect is a small bug about 8 mm long, the color of which can vary.

A hungry individual is flat and reddish-red in color, and after drinking blood, it swells and turns black.

Bedbug larvae resemble adult insects in shape and size, but are distinguished by their transparent white color. The eggs are large, similar to grains of rice, so they are easy to spot. It is necessary to get rid of bedbugs immediately, at the first sign of their appearance. Adult bedbugs and larvae

Bedbugs can get into an apartment along with new furniture and old antiques. They are often brought from hotels and hostels. Bed bugs are often found in warehouses containing used bedding or clothing.

Fighting parasites on your own is not always effective; you often have to resort to the services of exterminators.

The strongest insecticides, which are used to treat all hard-to-reach places, furniture, pillows and mattresses, will help destroy bedbugs.

These include:

emulsion "Get";
spray "Combat";
aerosol "Raptor" or "Executioner";
con;
Neopin powder.

Vinegar solution, turpentine, ammonia or kerosene are used as safe folk remedies. Bedbugs cannot tolerate strong odors and try to leave the treated room. If you smear all baseboards and wooden parts of furniture with valerian tincture, insects will immediately crawl out of their hiding places.

More aggressive contact methods are already being used here. Tansy flowers are placed under the mattress or back of the sofa, the smell of which repels parasites. An effective way to exterminate nocturnal bloodsuckers is to freeze out the room, but this is impossible to do in homes with central heating.

Dust mites

Parasites that cannot be seen or touched are dust mites that live everywhere, in every apartment.

They live in pillows, mattresses, upholstered furniture and blankets, causing allergic reactions in children and adults. Constant proximity to them in 80% of cases provokes the development of severe asthma attacks.

It is impossible to completely exterminate the smallest mites, but it is quite possible to significantly reduce their number.

Low humidity (about 40%) and air temperature from +18 to +22 degrees sharply reduces the number of pests. Daily ventilation and wet cleaning 2 times a week reduces the amount of allergens in the air.

A steam generator helps clean upholstered furniture, and bed linen must be washed at a temperature of at least +60 degrees. It is recommended to add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to the machine when washing.

It is recommended to leave pillows and blankets out in the cold for several hours to destroy mite eggs and larvae.

Body lice

Among the many types of domestic insects, body lice (linen lice) are noted separately. They feed on human blood, but live exclusively in clothing. Externally similar to the head ones, but larger - up to 4 mm.

The larvae are slightly smaller than the adult. The nits are very small, white, covered with a sticky substance, thanks to which they attach to clothing. Insects spend their entire lives inside the seams of clothing, in the lining, i.e.

in close proximity to a person.

You can become infected with such lice through prolonged close contact with a carrier (in public transport), by exchanging clothes or while trying them on in a store. Traces of parasite bites on the body look like clearly visible red spots that itch very much.

Crawling insects

Varieties of indoor pests crawl in the kitchen, bathroom and living areas, damaging food and belongings, but not causing direct harm to humans.

You can often see spiders, silverfish, woodlice, centipedes, and small bugs in your apartment. They do not pose a health hazard, but living in such a neighborhood is unpleasant.

The most common indoor pests are cockroaches and ants, which must be dealt with immediately.

Cockroaches and ants

There are 2 main types of domestic cockroaches: red (Prussian) and black. In apartments, ordinary red cockroaches are more common, but black ones are rare.

This is due to the fact that Prussians feed on the eggs of large black cockroaches, quickly destroying the population of the latter. Red pests feed on any food waste, products, paper, wallpaper paste.

They are able to live without food for about a month without leaving the apartment.

It is not easy to fight them, because these insects adapt to any conditions and quickly develop immunity to insecticides. Meanwhile, cockroaches spoil furniture, carry dangerous diseases, and infect food with worm eggs.

If water is constantly dripping in the apartment (for example, a leaking faucet), food is not removed, garbage is not taken out on time, and cleaning is carried out irregularly, then the appearance of cockroaches is only a matter of time.

To kill insects, drugs such as “Get”, “Raid”, Lambda Zone”, “Combat” are used.

Another pest that can be found in the house is the ant. Household (pharaoh) ants appear in the apartment and feed on meat and fish waste and sweets. Insects are not at all afraid of people; they live in large colonies - up to 10-15 thousand individuals. They prefer to settle in the kitchen, closer to the source of food, and driving them out of the house is problematic.

One colony is divided into several separate nests, which may be located in different apartments. Having exterminated insects in the apartment, after a week they can be noticed again. As long as the queen is alive, killing ants makes no sense. The same insecticides are used against them as against cockroaches, but it is better to use special glue traps and gels.

Earwigs, woodlice, silverfish

Earwig

The earwig (many call it the two-tailed one) is an arthropod less than 2 cm long. It has no eyes, and the insect navigates in space with the help of antennae. The pest spoils food and destroys indoor plants, but rarely bites humans. The bites are not dangerous, but quite painful. Earwigs reproduce quickly, so they must be destroyed immediately. Suitable products:

"Dichlorvos";
"Karbofos";
"Phenaxin";
"Tiuram."

The usual chalk against cockroaches “Mashenka” has also proven itself well, but it can only be used when there are no animals or children in the apartment. Earwigs like to live in places with high humidity, such as the bathroom or kitchen.

To get rid of them, they lay wet rags around the rooms, and when the insects crawl on them, they quickly roll them up and throw them outside. Acetic acid will help repel pests, the pungent odor of which is not to their taste.

The silverfish is a silver-colored insect with three long tails at one end of the body and two antennae at the other. Woodlice is a small crustacean up to 1 cm long, covered with a hard, gray chitinous shell.

It’s easy to expel such guests from the bathroom; just fix the leaks in the pipes, dry the room well, and seal all the cracks with silicone.

Regularly ventilate and treat bathroom floors with chlorine-containing products. You should pour boric acid under the sink or bathtub and wipe the floors and walls with vinegar.

Prepare an infusion of tobacco with salt and pepper (1 teaspoon of raw material per 0.5 liter of boiling water) and spray it on the floor and walls.

Small bark beetles

Small dark brown, gray or black beetles are pests of household wooden furniture, insects belonging to the borer species. Their presence is indicated by the passages gnawed by their larvae in the wood, the characteristic ticking sound and, of course, the detection of the beetles themselves.

Getting rid of the grinders will not be easy. To combat beetles use:

insecticides in the form of a spray (aerosol) and smoke bomb;
freezing for 2 days at temperatures below -2°C or warming the affected areas to +50°C.

Centipedes (flycatchers)

Centipede

About 12 thousand species of centipedes are known, although only a few can live in an apartment. The insect has a long body and a large number of legs, which is why it got its name.

Loves dampness, can sometimes bite, but mainly feeds on other harmful household insects.

If you regularly clean the room, ventilate it and maintain low air humidity, these insects will leave the apartment on their own.

House spiders

The spider is not an insect, it belongs to the class of arachnids. Spiders can be considered a useful “tenant” that helps humans cope with flies, cockroaches and mosquitoes.

In inhabited areas they appear from time to time; there are never many of them. You can get rid of them by simply brushing away the cobwebs with a broom or rag and throwing them outside.

They do no harm, but such a neighborhood cannot be called pleasant.

Source: https://VrediteliSOS.ru/nasekomye/drugie/domashnie-nasekomye.html

How to kill insects for an entomological collection?

Insects in the entomological collection

This must be done quickly and humanely. You shouldn’t let a living creature suffer for a long time. This develops cruelty in children. Little butterflies just get squeezed. Larger insects can be doused with hot water. Or put sulfuric ether at the bottom of the box.

About punctures:

The puncture with a pin is carried out in the middle of the chest.
You need to carefully pass the pin through the entire body.
The insect should be spread out on a damp board. It should dry.
Each board should be equipped with a piece of paper glued with gum arabic. This makes it easier to determine what species or type the insects belong to.
They should be stored in boxes with cork or peat at the bottom.
It is best to prick butterflies from top to bottom.
Before the box is closed, a bottle of gasoline is dropped into it. It protects against moths and bugs.
If the butterfly has wrinkled over time, it should be placed under a glass cover and then straightened.

Worth knowing: If mold appears on a bug, then lubricate this area with a brush with alcohol or ether.

Here's more information on how to kill insects for an entomological collection:

Collectors should remember that killing insects is, in this case, a necessary necessity, and not a way of obtaining pleasure.
As a rule, specially made stains are used. This is the most painless way to take the life of an insect.
They can be with sulfuric or acetic ether, or chloroform.

You can make stains using tall glasses made of thick glass or jars. It’s great if you can seal the stain with a cork stopper.

Tip: Place some tissue paper at the bottom of such a glass or jar. This is especially necessary if you want to dry several insects at the same time. This method helps to prevent insects from rubbing and forming a ball. Butterfly stain does not require paper.

It's also worth remembering:

There should be several stains. Large beetles should not be placed in the same container as flies, etc.
In order to kill insects, you need to wet the cotton wool with the above mentioned agents. Vapors from various ethers and alcohols can kill living organisms.
Acetic ester kills more slowly. However, insects killed in this way are softer.
If there is no ether or chloroform, you can use gasoline.

Precautionary measures: Ether and gasoline are flammable substances. Therefore, when using them to treat insects, be careful.

HIGH TEMPERATURE to kill insects. This method is suitable if you do not have poisons or do not want to use them. To do this, do the following:

Take a tin or zinc jar.
Close the lid tightly.
Place in boiling water.

Don't do this to insects that have developed jaws. They can ruin other copies.

Killing can be carried out in wine alcohol:

Dip the insects into a container with this substance and you’re done.
But it is important to remember that this is suitable for those who do not have long, bright hairs or scales.
That is, you can only kill dark-colored beetles this way. The alcohol strength must be at least 60°.

As you can see, each type of beetles, butterflies, moths, mosquitoes and other insects has its own method of killing.

Important Details

To prevent insects from molding in the boxes, freshly chopped ones should be allowed to dry without closing the lid tightly. If the room is dry, they will dry in a week or two. Then it is better, on the contrary, to store them in tightly closed boxes so that they are not eaten by other insects, such as carpet beetles, many of which feed on dry corpses, including those stored in collections.

A novice entomologist should get acquainted with specialists and seek their advice. In Moscow, such people can be found, for example, at the Department of Entomology of Moscow State University, where a school club operates. In St. Petersburg there is the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where many entomologists work and one of the best entomological collections in the world is stored. By the way, the employees of this institute maintain a rich website about beetles (https://www.zin.ru/animalia/coleoptera/), on which they willingly post not only scientific works, but also many other materials and images, including those sent from all over light by bug lovers. In Yekaterinburg, insects are studied at the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in Novosibirsk - at the Institute of Systematics and Animal Ecology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in Vladivostok - at the Biology and Soil Institute of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Published in the magazine “Schrodinger’s Cat” No. 6 (08) for June 2015.

How to painlessly euthanize an insect

The collection of butterflies most often begins with representatives of the most common families. This includes whitefishes, nymphalids, marigolds, bluebirds, swallowtails and others. Well, even by collecting just a few butterflies from each family, you can already create an impressive collection that will do honor to any beginning lepidopterophilist.

But the collector loves wildlife and will try not to torture the caught or hatched insect, ensuring it has the easiest, fastest and most painless death possible. How to do this?

For this you will need ether. It can be purchased at many veterinary clinics and pet stores. But, alas, it is not always possible to buy ether, especially in small towns or villages, where it is easiest to get interesting exhibits. Well, a butterfly collector can also use ammonia or ammonia, which is sold in most regular pharmacies, and the solution is not at all expensive. And using it is as simple as possible - any teenage beginner can easily cope with the task.

It is enough to dip a small piece of slightly compressed cotton wool in ether or ammonia and put it in the jar where the butterfly is, then close it with a lid. After some time (it depends on the amount of liquid absorbed by the cotton wool and the volume of the container), the insect dies painlessly.

How to dry insects for collection: general recommendations

Collection of insects
An insect should be dried immediately after it is caught. If it is necessary to dry the beetle, it is glued to the foam with glue. You definitely need to straighten his paws and secure them with pins.

After the insect has dried, you need to carefully remove it from the foam and then glue it onto a cardboard block.
It is important to protect the collection from pests.

Insects are attached to the foam with pins if they are dry. There should be a piece of paper with the name next to it. The foam is placed in a box and put away in a warm and dry place. As a rule, drying lasts about a week. But everything can be ready earlier. The beetles will take up to a month to dry. The period depends on the size of the insect and the region where it was caught.

Insect pins

Pins for pricking insects are made in a special way; they differ from simple pins in that they are longer and thinner. The puncture with a pin is made through the middle part of the insect's chest, carefully passing the pin through its entire body.

Spread the insect on a damp board before it dries, or on a layer of damp sand under a glass cover. Remaining for some time in this environment, the insect absorbs moisture and becomes flexible and soft.

How to dry butterflies for a collection?

Butterfly collection

So, how to properly dry butterflies for a collection? Here are some important nuances:

The main thing is to spread your wings. This needs to be done correctly.
If the insects have just been caught, you can immediately begin the process.
And if the butterflies are dried, then they need to be soaked.
This can be done in a glass desiccator or in a saucepan. Sand is poured there (preferably it should be fine, river sand, sifted through a sieve, and kept in boiling water).
Drain the water and use the sand to arrange the bags of butterflies.
Instead, you can use cotton wool or damp foam rubber. The butterfly is soaked in water vapor.
Cover the pan tightly with a lid.

Tip: Add phenol to the water. It will save you from rot and mold, but this substance is considered very toxic.

Small butterflies can be straightened out the very next day. Large ones take a little longer. You can add water to a syringe and inject it into the insect's chest, where the wings begin. This will speed up the process. It's also worth knowing the following:

If the butterflies are rare and delicate, they can be put on a pin right away.
If the insect's head is turned to one side, it should be adjusted with tweezers so that it takes a normal position.
Insects are spread out by spreading.
It is necessary to position the insect so that its body is in the groove and its wings are located on the planks. The basis for straightening is a wooden plate.
On some products, the distance between the boards is adjusted using a screw.

The process of laying the butterfly out:

Insert a pin with a butterfly into the groove, perpendicular to the longitudinal and transverse axes.
The bases of the wings should be located at the upper edges.
Stick it to the right of the abdomen - otherwise the butterfly may start to turn.
Place pieces of cellophane or tracing paper on the wings, which are held on boards. They should cover the wings almost completely.
Use a long tailor's pin. Use it to carefully move the wing until the top edge is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
Then move the rear fender. It should go under the front one.
The other pair of wings moves similarly. By the way, don't pierce the wings. This will ruin their appearance.

Tip: Pin along the edges. The wings should be pressed against the planks and not be displaced. Place cotton wool under the belly to prevent it from drooping, and place the mustache along the front edge.

The butterflies take several days to dry. And then their body retains its properties. By the way, insects that have just been caught take longer to dry than those that have been soaked.

When the butterfly has already been removed from straightening:

It needs to be labeled.
Indicate on it the name of the region where the butterfly was caught, the date, and the name of the catcher.

This design of the collection allows you to preserve the insect in a beautiful form for a long time, and the label will not allow you to forget all the necessary information.

How to properly dry a grasshopper or praying mantis at home?

Properly dried grasshoppers, praying mantises at home

The main disadvantage of drying a grasshopper and a praying mantis is that it will turn from a green “handsome” insect into a brown, wrinkled insect. It is very difficult to bypass this process. How to properly dry a grasshopper or praying mantis at home? Important details:

As mentioned above, it is important that insects do not turn black when dried and retain their color.
Therefore, before starting the process, it is better to gut them - otherwise they will take a long time to dry and retain an unpleasant odor.

This all needs to be done in the following sequence:

After grasshoppers and mantises are caught, they are killed in the stain. It is necessary that the jar has a wide neck and strips of paper at the bottom.
To “stain” you need ether. Evaporate it in a jar, then place the insect and close the container for several hours.
After this, the insects are immediately straightened and impaled. This is done on the first day, while they are still wet. Otherwise, there is a risk of breaking limbs, and for grasshoppers and mantises this is the most important thing.
Insert pins into the grasshoppers' right elytra.
After this, wait until the insect dries.
The paws should be closer to the body so as not to break them.

Then label the collection and place it in a permanent storage location.

When dried, some insects greatly change their color and fade. You caught several bright red ladybugs, killed them, and laid them on mattresses. After a while we got ready to prick the beetles, opened the mattress - how they had changed! Where did the magnificent red color go?! The beetles acquired a dull, dirty-brown color. When dried, green grasshoppers turn brown, and dragonflies lose their blue stripes and spots. Is it possible to prevent color change and fading in dry insects? Unfortunately, there is still no method of pickling and drying insects that would preserve their original color completely and without changes. We are not even talking about the fact that in alcohol or formalin during long-term storage, insects generally lose any semblance of their natural color. However, there are some ways to preserve color close to natural, although they are rather imperfect. Leaf beetles and ladybugs change their color much less if they are marinated not with ether or chloroform, but with snuff. To prevent the disappearance of the bright pattern on the sides of the pectorals and abdomen of dragonflies, they are treated with acetone. As soon as the insect falls asleep in the stain, it is taken out, holding it by the wings folded together, and lowered into acetone so that the head does not submerge in the liquid. The dragonfly is kept in acetone for about 2 hours, after which it is transferred to ether for an hour. The insect removed from the ether is dried and placed on a mattress. Preserving the pattern on the chest of dragonflies is important not only to better preserve its appearance, but also to make it easier to identify later. Coloration is an important identifying feature for many of these insects. It is almost impossible to avoid browning of the color of locusts, grasshoppers and other orthoptera. The only thing that can be advised here is to dry them as quickly as possible.

Mummification of larvae and pupae

To prepare biological collections, it is often necessary to prepare a dry preparation of a particular animal. An example would be a collection dedicated to the development of an insect. All stages of its development should be located next to the dried and straightened adult insect. Larvae stored in bottles or test tubes with preservative liquid, of course, make less impression than dry objects. In some cases, larvae and pupae that do not have a dense chitinous covering cannot be dried as easily as adult insects, but mummies can be prepared from them, that is, mummified. Mummification takes a long time, so it is convenient to make mummies from a large number of animals at once. Usually only white larvae and pupae are mummified, since the colored ones lose their color. To work, you will need alcohol of 60, 75, 85, 96 and 100 degrees (for the preparation of alcohols of the required strength, see page 120), xylene, small tweezers, several salt shakers closed with glass. Instead of salt shakers, you can use any small vessels with a wide neck. Before killing a caterpillar or other larva intended for mummification, it should be thoroughly fed. Hungry caterpillars and other larvae may shrink during subsequent processing. The fed larva is pickled and scalded with boiling water, after which it is successively placed in alcohols of increasing strength: 60, 75 degrees, etc. The larva is kept in each alcohol for 1 to 2 days, depending on its size. The latter alcohol is absolute, that is, it contains no water at all. It needs to be changed once or twice. While in alcohol, the animal's tissues become dehydrated. The more thoroughly the dehydration is carried out, the better the next operation - degreasing. To degrease, the larva is placed in xylene, where it is kept for approximately the same time as in absolute alcohol. When removed from xylene, the larva becomes dry and hard. Now it can be stored together with dried adult insects.

When transferring an object from one liquid to another, it is picked up with tweezers. In this case, you should try to keep the larva in the air for as little time as possible, since this will allow the moisture in the air to penetrate into it. All vessels in which mummification is carried out must be tightly closed (Fig. 34). There should be enough liquid in each of them so that it completely covers the larva. Both alcohols and xylene should be replaced with fresh ones from time to time, as moisture, grease, and dirt accumulate in them. Sometimes the larvae, when passed through alcohol, shrink and lose their shape. Most often this is explained by the fact that the change in alcohol strength turned out to be too drastic for them. If for large and rough larvae it is enough to use only four alcohols - 60, 70, 96 and 100 degrees, then more delicate animals have to be passed through six - eight alcohols, for example: 45, 50, 55, 60, 70, 80, 96 and 100 degrees. In conclusion, it is necessary to say how to prepare absolute alcohol from commercial alcohol (96°). To extract water, dehydrated (white) copper sulfate is added to alcohol. Dehydration of vitriol is achieved by calcining it - the blue crystals lose color and turn into white powder. About a third of the volume of a jar with a ground stopper is filled with copper sulfate powder, after which alcohol is added to the jar. The vitriol greedily absorbs water and turns blue. There is practically no water left in alcohol. This alcohol is poured into another vessel containing white, dehydrated copper sulfate. Be sure to store absolute alcohol together with vitriol in a tightly sealed container, making sure that the vitriol under the alcohol remains white at all times.

Advice: Large and medium-sized ones with a more or less dense chitinous cover are stored dry.

The site has:

Preparation of wet preparations Methods of designing zoological collections Features of collecting aquatic animals Collecting arachnids for the collection Arranging butterflies for the collection

So summer is over. Leaves are falling. Let's better talk about how to take at least a little bit of summer with you. You can do this in different ways, of course, but the surest way is to leave good and unforgettable impressions of your summer vacation.

But since I am not a professor of psychology and I don’t know what memory will be pleasant for you, I will tell you about simpler and more material things that will leave you with that very particle of summer. In this article we will talk about how to dry an insect, and then decorate such an interesting souvenir.

Let's get started. You, of course, can do whatever is most convenient for you, but I will start by making a frame. Here's what we need for this: - plywood or wood - glue - glass - cardboard - polystyrene foam - paper

It is necessary to cut 4 bars from plywood or wood, which will later serve as the basis for the frame. All 4 bars should be the same width, both on the front and sides, the length may vary depending on what kind of frame you need. Trim the ends of the bars at a 45° angle as shown in (A). The sawing places are marked in red; the smoother you saw off, the better the edges of your bars will meet, forming the future frame. If you sawed off correctly, the gaps in the convergence of the bars will be almost invisible.

Let us now turn to figure (B). It shows a block in which you need to make cuts. The cuts are made on the inside of the bar, the letters “L”, “B” and “O” indicate the Front side, Side side and Back side (back), respectively. A longer slot is necessary for inserting glass into it, so it should be slightly larger than the thickness of the glass so that the glass can be inserted easily and held firmly. A short slot is needed to insert the back wall, on which our dried insect will be placed. The letter "K" in figures (A) and (B) indicates fastenings. The fasteners are thin metal plates that can be easily bent at any time and the back wall of the frame can be removed. The plates are inserted into the bars we made. The main part of the frame is ready.

Let's start making the back wall.

The back wall should fit completely into the slot we made earlier. As you can see from picture (C), there is a slot in the center of the wall into which the foam “P” is attached. The foam plate should be slightly larger than the slot. It must be glued from the back of the back wall, i.e. the side that will be closer to the wall when we hang the frame. The back wall is made of thin plywood or cardboard, after which some beautiful “T” fabric is glued to it, this will give the frame a more presentable look.

Insert the glass into the frame and glue 4 bars with PVA glue, let the glue dry. The frame is almost ready. After the glue has dried, clean the frame again with sandpaper. Cover the frame with furniture stain, this will give it a brown tint. Next, you need to coat the frame several times with clear varnish; between each coat of varnish, wait until the varnish dries properly. After the varnish has dried, go over the frame with fine-grained sandpaper. Repeat coating 2 times. For the 3rd time, simply coat the frame with varnish and let it dry. The frame is ready.

Well, now let's get down to the most important thing.

If you have already caught an insect, then that’s just great. The caught insect is killed in the stain. We take a jar with a wide neck, put strips of paper on the bottom (if you are going to dry butterflies, then strips of paper are not needed), close the jar with a lid, to the underside of which attach a cotton swab moistened with ether, leave the jar closed for several hours. After this, the insects are immediately straightened and pricked for the first day, before they dry out, otherwise some limbs will break. Insects are pinned onto entomological pins. Pins are stuck vertically into the chest of butterflies, flies, dragonflies, bees, wasps, or into the right elytra of beetles, grasshoppers, and small bugs. Wait until the insects dry out. The wings of butterflies are carefully spread on the so-called “spreaders”. First, one wing is secured with strips of paper, then the other. The legs and antennae are placed as close to the body of the insect as possible so that they do not break.

Now we place the dried insect on the foam back wall of the frame. We glue a strip of paper with information about it to the plate under the insect. We insert the back wall, but with the insect, into the frame we made. We bend the fasteners so that the back wall is firmly held in the frame. Our souvenir is ready.

A home collection of insects will increase interest in you when any guests arrive. Such products not only decorate your home, but are also a unique gift for loved ones.

Learn to make things with your own hands.
Fried Bamboo Worms
Where: Thailand, China, Latin America For Thais, a plate of fried bamboo worms is as traditional a way to start a meal as salad or soup is for Europeans. Their taste and texture are a little reminiscent of popcorn, although they do not have any special pronounced taste, but they are very nutritious. In fact, these are not worms at all, but larvae of grass moths from the grass moth family (Crambidae), living in bamboo. Traditionally they are harvested by cutting bamboo stalks, but more recently they have been grown commercially on farms and packaged in bags like chips. Bizarre Food products can, for example, be bought in England. In addition to Thailand, bamboo worms are eaten with pleasure in China and in the Amazon River basin.

Shish kebab from longhorned beetle larvae

Where: Eastern Indonesia Longhorned beetles, large and shiny beetles with long antennae, are distributed throughout the world, and there are many of them in Russia. In our country they are also called woodcutter beetles, in the English-speaking world - capricorn beetles. Longhorned beetle larvae, found in the roots of sago palms, are a very popular village food in Eastern Indonesia. For the sake of fatty and juicy larvae, Indonesians sometimes cut down small palm groves, and then, carefully stringing them onto twigs, roast the larvae over the fire. They have tender flesh, but a very dense skin that takes a long time to chew. The maggots taste like greasy bacon. The larvae have another use: villagers use them as ear brushes - a live larva is inserted into the ear, held by the tail with your fingers, and it quickly eats away the ear wax.

Cheese with cheese fly larvae

Where: Sardinia This cheese is proof that insects are eaten not only in Africa and Asia. Casu marzu is an important Sardinian specialty: cheese made from unpasteurized goat's milk with live larvae of the cheese fly Piophila casei. For most cheese lovers, casu marzu is not just mature cheese or blue cheese, but completely rotten cheese with worms. Strictly speaking, this is what it is: this is ordinary pecorino, from which the top layer is cut off so that the cheese fly can easily lay its eggs in it. The larvae that then appear begin to eat the cheese from the inside - the acid contained in their digestive system decomposes the fats in the cheese and gives it a specific softness. Some of the liquid even flows out - it is called lagrima, which means “tear”. In Sardinia, casu marzu is considered an aphrodisiac and is traditionally eaten along with worms. Moreover, casu marzu is considered safe to eat only while the larvae are alive. This is not easy to do: disturbed larvae, reaching a centimeter in length, can jump out of the cheese to a height of 15 cm - many cases have been described when they got into the eye of someone who tried the cheese. Therefore, lovers of casu marzu often eat this cheese with glasses or, spreading it on bread, cover the sandwich with their hand. However, removing larvae from cheese is not considered a crime. The easiest way is to put a piece of cheese or a sandwich in a paper bag and close it tightly: the suffocating larvae begin to jump out. When the shooting in the bag stops, the cheese can be eaten. Of course, casu marzu does not meet any hygienic standards of the European Union and was banned for a long time (it could only be bought on the black market at a price twice the price of regular pecorino). But in 2010, the casu marzu was recognized as a cultural property of Sardinia and allowed again.

Dried mopane caterpillars with onions

Where: South Africa Dried caterpillars of Gonimbrasia belina, a South African species of mopane moth, are an important source of protein for South Africans. Collecting these caterpillars in Africa is quite a serious business: in supermarkets and markets you can find both dried and hand-smoked caterpillars and pickled caterpillars rolled into tins. To cook a caterpillar, you first need to squeeze out its green intestines (usually the caterpillars are simply squeezed in your hand, less often they are cut lengthwise, like a pea pod), and then boiled in salted water and dried. Sun-dried or smoked caterpillars are very nutritious, weigh almost nothing and have a long shelf life, but do not have much flavor (they are most often compared to dried tofu or even dry wood). Therefore, they are usually fried until crunchy along with onions, added to stews, stewed in various sauces, or served with sadza corn porridge. However, very often mopane are eaten raw, whole or, as in Botswana, after tearing off the head. They taste like tea leaves. Caterpillars are collected by hand, usually done by women and children. And if they belong to anyone in the forest, then collecting caterpillars on neighboring trees is considered bad manners. In Zimbabwe, women even mark trees with their caterpillars or move young caterpillars closer to home, setting up unique plantations.

Boiled wasps

Where: Japan The older generation of Japanese still respects wasps and bees, prepared in a variety of ways. One such dish is hatinoko, which is bee larvae boiled with soy sauce and sugar: a translucent, sweetish caramel-like mass that goes well with rice. Wasps are also prepared in the same way - a dish with them is called jibatinoko. For older Japanese people, this dish reminds them of the post-war years and the rationing system, when wasps and bees were especially actively eaten in Japan. It is in steady demand in Tokyo restaurants, even if only as a nostalgic attraction. In general, hatinoko and jibatinoko are considered a rather rare specialty of Nagano Prefecture. Fried black wasps are a little more common and are sometimes served with beer in Japanese taverns. Another specialty, rice crackers with earthen wasps, is made in the village of Omachi. These are small cookies with adult wasps stuck to them - each one contains from 5 to 15 wasps. Japanese dishes made from wild wasps and bees are not cheap: it is impossible to put this business on stream; the preparation itself is quite labor-intensive. Wasp and bee hunters tie long colored threads to adult wasps and thus track their nests. However, you can also find canned bees in Japanese stores - this is usually how beekeeping farms sell their surplus.

Silkworm fried with ginger

Where: China, Korea, Japan, Thailand The city of Suzhou and its surroundings are famous not only for high-quality silk, but also for quite rare dishes made from silkworm pupae. As you know, silkworm caterpillars wrap themselves in a thin but strong silk thread. In the cocoon they grow wings, antennae and legs. Before this happens, Suzhou residents boil them, remove the cocoon, and then quickly fry them in a wok - most often with ginger, garlic and onions. However, tender larvae, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, go well with almost any vegetables and spices. When cooked correctly, they taste like crab or shrimp meat. Silkworm larvae are no less popular in Korea. Trays of beondegi, boiled grubs with spices or steamed grubs, are found throughout the country. And stores sell canned silkworms, which must be boiled before use. They are also loved in Japan, especially in Nagato, and Japanese astrophysicist Masamichi Yamashita even suggests including silkworms in the diet of future Mars colonists.

Fried ants

Where: Mexico, Colombia, Australia, South Africa Ants are the most popular edible insects on Earth after grasshoppers. In Colombia, fried ants are even sold in movie theaters instead of popcorn. The ones most loved in Colombia are female ants with eggs. They are caught on rainy days, when water floods the anthills and the females climb out. In the simplest rustic version, they are prepared by wrapping them in leaves and holding them over the fire for a while. This is a crunchy, sweetish snack with a distinct nutty flavor. But the most delicious ants, the so-called “honey” ants, are found in Australia. They feed on sweet nectar, transporting it in swollen abdomen (in Russian-language literature they are called “ant barrels”). These transparent bubbles are considered a sweet delicacy among the Australian Aborigines. In addition, two genera of honey ants are found in South Africa and the semi-deserts of North America.

Deep fried water bugs

Where: Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines Large water bugs - insects from the Belostomatidae family - live all over the world, most of them in America, Canada and Southeast Asia. But while for Americans these are just large insects whose bites sometimes last for two weeks, in Asia they happily eat water bugs. The Asian variety, Lethocerus indicus, is the largest in the family at 12cm in length, so the Thais simply deep-fry them and serve them with plum sauce. The meat of water bugs tastes like shrimp. At the same time, in Thailand they are eaten whole, in the Philippines the legs and wings are torn off (and in this form they are served with strong drinks as a snack), and in Vietnam they are made into a very fragrant extract, which is added to soups and sauces. One drop is enough for a bowl of soup.

Grasshoppers with avocado

Where: Mexico John the Baptist, as is known, ate grasshoppers: the locusts, which he ate with wild honey, are locusts, a close relative of the grasshopper. It could be understood by Mexicans, for whom grasshoppers are practically a national food. Grasshoppers are eaten everywhere in Mexico: boiled, raw, sun-dried, fried, soaked in lime juice. The most popular dish is grasshopper guacamole: the insects are quickly fried, causing them to instantly change color from green to reddish, mixed with avocado and spread on a corn tortilla. Like any small fried insect, fried grasshopper does not have a prominent flavor and usually tastes like the oil and spices in which it was fried. The grasshoppers sold by street vendors in Southeast Asia are simply overcooked chitinous shells. In general, grasshoppers are eaten wherever insects are eaten. Grasshoppers boiled in salt water and dried in the sun are eaten in the Middle East, in China they are skewered like kebabs, and in Uganda and nearby regions they are added to soups. It is curious that in Uganda, until recently, women were not allowed to eat grasshoppers - it was believed that then they would give birth to children with deformed heads, like grasshoppers.

Dragonflies in coconut milk

Where: Bali

Dragonflies in coconut milk

Where: Bali Dragonflies can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h, so edible dragonflies are real fast food. They are caught and eaten in Bali: it is not easy to catch a dragonfly, for this they use sticks smeared with sticky tree sap. The main difficulty is to touch the dragonfly with this stick in a smooth and at the same time fast movement. Caught large dragonflies, whose wings are first torn off, are either quickly grilled or boiled in coconut milk with ginger and garlic. Dragonflies are also made into a kind of candy by frying them in coconut oil and sprinkling them with sugar.

Tarantulas baked on coals

Where: Cambodia Black-fried tarantulas, which look like varnished, charred firebrands, are a common street food in Cambodia. A successful tarantula catcher can catch up to two hundred individuals per day. They sell very quickly. Cambodian tarantulas are fried in a wok with salt and garlic - their meat tastes like a cross between chicken and fish. Large tarantulas, reaching 28 cm in diameter, are eaten in Venezuela simply by roasting them on coals. A slightly more elegant method of preparing tarantulas is used in Japan: they first tear off the spider's abdomen, then singe the hairs and quickly fry them in tempura. However, it is believed that the most delicious spiders are not tarantulas, but spiders from the Nephilidae family, which are eaten in New Guinea and Laos. These spiders taste like peanut butter when fried.

The success of the laboratory workshop depends on the availability of handouts offered to students for study. Below are recommendations for collecting, maintaining, processing and storing handouts. Collecting and preparing handouts can be done by students. To do this, they are given a specific summer collection task and instructions for preparing handouts

Spiders are usually collected in August-September, when many mature specimens are found, and fixed with 96° alcohol or 10% formaldehyde.

Large or medium-sized beetles (chafer beetle, Colorado potato beetle, etc.) are usually used as objects for studying the external structure of insects. Black cockroaches are also a good target because they can not only be captured, but also kept alive.

Insects are collected in the summer and, after fixing in a stain with ether or chloroform, stored dry in closed boxes, on cotton pads or in 75-80° alcohol. Dry insects are soaked 1-2 days before class. To do this, they are transferred from the mattresses to a fairly deep enamel bowl, on the bottom of which is laid calcined sand, moistened with boiled water, and on top of it is a sheet of Whatman paper. The camera must be tightly closed with a lid or glass. Soaked insects are pinned onto entomological pins, thin pins or sewing needles.

To study the external structure, whole insects and separated heads (for studying the oral apparatus) are boiled in 20% caustic potassium for 5-20 minutes. In this case, the soft parts dissolve, and the isolation of the necessary organs is facilitated (the mosquito’s head is not boiled down). Boiled insects and their heads are washed with water or alcohol.

Freshly fixed cockroaches are used for dissection.

Cockroaches are kept in a tightly closed terrarium with a top door. You can use wooden boxes without gaps, closed on all sides. One wall of the box is replaced with fine wire mesh. A layer of sand or sawdust is poured onto the bottom, shards from broken pots and crumpled paper are placed, since cockroaches need shelter. The cockroaches are fed bread, raw vegetables, and sometimes granulated sugar. There should always be a bowl of water or moistened cotton wool in the terrarium. The terrarium is kept in a dark place, ventilated periodically.

To make micropreparations of antennae, perioral organs and legs, insects are first boiled (as described above), the caustic alkali is washed in water with the addition of acetic acid, dehydrated and cleared in undiluted glycerin, and then embedded in a glycerin-gelatin mixture. In most cases, coverslips are provided with wax feet. Before embedding several small parts into one preparation, they are first glued to a glass slide with egg white. To do this, beat the protein into a foam, after falling off, mix it with an equal volume of glycerin, filter through a folded filter, add a little salicylic soda or camphor.

To study the development of insects, a series of larvae are prepared. To illustrate development with incomplete metamorphosis, it is easiest to use the black cockroach. Cockroach larvae are grown (in the same way as adults) and fixed with 2-3% formaldehyde. Micropreparations are prepared from the fixed material (as described above), embedding them in a glycerin-gelatin mixture. It is better to incorporate several larvae at young stages into one preparation.

It is more difficult to select material to illustrate development with complete metamorphosis. Larvae and pupae (for example, butterflies) are collected from nature and fixed with 70° alcohol or 4% formaldehyde. Before fixing, large larvae are dipped in boiling water and then carefully pierced in 2-3 places. Larvae and pupae are stored in bottles with a ground stopper in a dark place. As alcohol evaporates, the alcohol is constantly added, making sure that it completely covers the handout.

To study the diversity of insects, it is necessary to dry or fix insects belonging to different orders. First of all, pests or insects that are widespread in the area are harvested.

In recent years, many people have been purchasing exotic animals as pets, which need to be fed accordingly. Bukahi brand

. Dried and fresh insects as food and treats may be of interest to owners of animals such as meerkats, hedgehogs, possums, turtles, small primates, fish, birds, rats, hamsters, terrarium animals and other insectivores. Before buying insects for food or treats, find out whether your pet can be given such food. Insect food is rich in protein and it is almost impossible to replace it. Made from crickets, grasshoppers, grasshoppers, mealworms, silkworms and other insects. Canned food keeps insects in their original form, fresh and tasty. When preserving, a special temperature regime is used; this technique allows you to soften all the hard parts of insects. All the nutritional qualities of insects are preserved. Canned insects are a wonderful delicacy, rich in microelements, high nutritional value and vitamins. And the animals themselves love them very much; for them, a canned beetle or cockroach is the best vitamin treat. Dried insects differ from canned ones just as fresh apples differ from dried ones. All insects are carefully selected and dried at the optimal temperature, which allows the insect to be thoroughly dried and all vitamins preserved. In nature, animals eat insect corpses, often already dried, so this food-delicacy is natural and is calmly accepted by animals; they will happily crunch on a dry bug. Insects, both canned and dried, have high nutritional and taste value and will be an excellent and indispensable food or treat for all insectivorous animals, birds and reptiles. Animals happily eat both dried and canned insects, even if you have always fed them alive. At home, the hunter's instinct, which you try to preserve by feeding the animal with live insects, atrophies. Therefore, all efforts to preserve it are ultimately pointless. Transportation and storage of canned and dried insects does not cause such difficulties as frozen and live ones. A refrigerator is required for transporting and storing frozen insects, but live ones must be carefully monitored so that they do not run away and be fed. Storing dry and canned insects does not require special conditions, reliable jars are difficult to break, they have a long shelf life compared to fresh ones and are quite difficult to spoil, and dry insects are carefully packaged and with careful handling the risk of causing damage to them is minimal. The benefits of dry and canned insects are obvious. The Bukahi brand is a high-quality natural food for exotic and insectivorous animals, birds and reptiles.

Carefully straighten the exhibit

Once the butterfly has died, it must be prepared to be placed under glass before it dries out and the wings freeze in an inappropriate position. An experienced lepidopterist knows this and always has the appropriate equipment at the ready.

In general, various devices can be used. Some people prefer to purchase special ones, which are sold in specialized stores and are quite expensive. Others decide to make equipment with their own hands, at least for the first time, until it becomes clear whether this hobby will be an ordinary, quickly boring whim or will remain for life.

The easiest option is to take a board of soft wood and make a narrow and not too deep slot in it according to the size of the trophy’s body. Any beginning butterfly collector can do this.

Carefully place the euthanized insect on the board so that the body fits into this gap. Now very carefully straighten the wings and press them against the tree. Place a piece of thin polyethylene (a transparent disposable bag will do) or tracing paper on top of each wing and secure with pins. At the same time, try not to bury the body too deep into the gap so that it is at the same level as the wings. Then your trophy will look most elegant and will become a magnificent decoration of the collection.

How to collect beetles

Collecting beetles is unlikely to differ in any significant way from collecting butterflies. Beetles are found especially often in vegetable gardens, meadows, etc.; They are usually caught with a bag called a scoop. The latter consists of a stick equipped at one end with a wire circle, to which is attached a bag made of coarse linen. The scoop, with the hole pointing downwards, is moved across the grass, bushes, etc., capturing any insects that come across in a bag.

There is another device for catching beetles, the so-called mace, arranged as follows: a stone of quite significant weight, or a weight weighing 2 pounds, is carefully wrapped in rags and covered with cloth or leather, after which a belt is attached to it accordingly or rope.

With such a mace, children go to catch beetles - approaching a tree, they spread a scarf under it and hit the tree trunk with a certain force with the mace. The blow causes the tree to shake, and beetles, caterpillars, etc., which have found shelter in various corners of the tree, fall on the scarf in abundance.

The method of catching beetles just described is especially practiced in places where deciduous trees grow.

In the early morning hours, when a mace strikes such a deciduous tree, heaps of insects usually fall to the ground. Some types of beetles are found in ant nests, so when going after them, you need to carefully inspect the anthills.

How to dry a spider for collection?

Dried spider for collection

It is best to catch and dry spiders for collection in August or September. At this time there are the most mature individuals. For fixation, you can use 96% alcohol or 10% formaldehyde. The smaller the spider, the more difficult the drying process. You should not kill spiders thoughtlessly. In such cases, their limbs bend and freeze.

It is better to put the victim to sleep:

Place the spider in the jar.
Instead of a lid, use a cotton swab soaked in formaldehyde.
After a while, the paws need to be straightened with a pin on the board, that is, straightened.
Entomological pins must be of standard length and have round heads. Regular ones cannot be used. They rust quickly. This must be done when the spider is already dead. The paws are straightened and fixed. For this you need pins and strips of paper.
It is important not to break anything for the spider. But at the same time, there should be no contractions in the paws; reliable fixation is also important.
Spiders should be stored in a dark, dry place.

Here's another way to dry a spider. Also suitable for various beetles. You will need the following:

A jar that will be used for stain.
The thicker paper will be used for mattresses and labels, and the softer paper will need to be filled with stain and made into “mattresses”.
Use ethyl acetate or nail polish remover as a poison.
You will also need cotton wool, thread, needles and cardboard boxes.
Containers - plastic and metal.
You also need glue and binoculars.

Do the following:

Fill the jar with paper, which must first be cut into strips. You can crumple it up. This is necessary to ensure that the specimens are clean and dry.
Then add a few drops of the polish remover liquid there. This is an analogue of ethyl acetate. It poisons insects, but does not make the integument fragile.
Now cut out the bases for the mattresses - you can put a box, for example, of sugar, on the sheet.
Fold the edges and cut rectangles at the corners. All blades are bent twice - at the edge and after half a centimeter.
Insects or spiders are laid out on a mattress and mounted on pins.

For each mattress, cut out a rectangle to place on the bottom (thick paper) and a rectangle of soft, thin paper (to cover). There must be cotton wool on top of the dense fabric. Now place the frozen insects. But you can prick them right away. Once the insects are dry, they can be soaked. To do this, the mattress is placed in a closed pan with damp cotton wool at the bottom.

When the insect or spider is dried, you need to write explanations on a covering of thin paper. As a rule, this is the region and the surname of the young researcher. If the type of insect is unknown, you should take a key and find it using identification marks.

Beetle collections

The caught beetles are usually stored until returning from a walk, in a bottle with a little moss placed at the bottom. At home, they are quickly killed by immersing them in another, pre-prepared bottle filled with alcohol. Instead of alcohol, you can pour sawdust moistened with gasoline into the bottle.

Next, small beetles are attached using gum arabic to a piece of thick paper, after which they are pierced. Large beetles are immediately pierced with a pin, passing it through the middle of the right horny elytra. Very large beetles are placed on a piece of woolen material, trying to do this while they are still wet, then their legs are carefully and carefully straightened with a pin. Further work when collecting beetles is the same as when collecting butterflies.

How to dry a bumblebee: tips

Dried bumblebee for collection

For the collection, bumblebees and hornets must first be cast in resin or acrylic. Simply because a stinging insect is dangerous enough to poke with a pin while it is still alive. Here are tips on how to dry a bumblebee:

To begin with, the individual should be caught in a container. It can be a jar or a box.
Plant in a jar of epoxy resin with hardener or acrylic. For this you will need disposable containers.
Mix the “fill” thoroughly.
The process itself has three stages. First you need to fill the first layer, put an insect there (beetle, bumblebee, wasp) and pour it. Before this, you should give the beetle the desired pose. The last stage is to fill everything completely.
After the insects drown, they need to be taken out and spread on the foam with pins and allowed to dry.

Important: The main thing is not to prick yourself on the sting and make sure that the insect no longer shows signs of life. Quite often, bumblebees, bees and wasps can only pretend that they are unconscious, and after a person takes them in his hand, they sting.

By the way, you can give the bumblebee the desired pose with tweezers or another sharp object, even a nail. The main thing is to be careful. The beetle should lie tightly. There is no need to fill it with the entire portion of resin or acrylic at once, otherwise it may move. Watch the video on how to soak and straighten insects. The collector clearly shows this.

How to decorate a collection of insects with your own hands: ideas

There are more than a million species of insects in the world. Each of them is truly unique. A collection of insects, even collected by an amateur, also has its value. This is why many people are interested in creating collections. It is important to arrange it correctly so that you can display it or simply store it. Below you will find ideas to help you decorate your insect collection with your own hands.

The simplest option is to place the insects on a paper mattress or foam, place them in a frame and cover them with glass.

DIY insect collection

Here are the original collections of butterflies.

DIY insect collection

DIY butterfly collection

You can create compositions using jars and glasses. Also use dry branches, moss and other natural materials.

DIY butterfly collection

In the middle you can place the most beautiful and rare beetles, which will be the center of attention.

DIY beetle collection

Large dried insects look beautiful in separate glass containers.

DIY beetle collection

In one large box you can make sections, in each of which you can place insects from a separate region.

DIY beetle collection

How to catch butterflies?

There are special nets for catching butterflies. The net, supported by a stick, consists of a circle made of strong wire; The diameter of the circle is approximately 30 centimeters. A rather long bag made like a cone from some light material, gas, etc. is attached to the circle.

It is more convenient to make the circle described above from two separate, well-folding halves, each of which is equipped with a quadrant hole at the lower end and secured with a nut. An ordinary stick is driven into a hollow iron cylinder and secured with a side screw.

When he sees insects, the young naturalist carefully approaches, trying to walk in such a direction that the shadow he casts is placed behind him and not in front - otherwise, the approaching shadow will frighten the insects and they will quickly fly away.

At some distance from the insect, the boy deftly throws a net over it, making several movements with it from side to side, due to which it surrounds the insect so much that it is not possible for him to escape from the net.

In addition to the mesh, you also need to stock up on scissors of a special device, which consist of a handle made of strong iron wire, and legs representing frames, approximately quadrangular or round in shape, also made of iron wire and covered with gas (gauze). Both frames differ in size, so that when the scissors are closed, the larger frame encloses the smaller one - thanks to this special device, the captured insect is firmly held.

Is it possible to transport collections of dried insects to the Russian Federation purchased abroad?

There is a lot of controversy over whether it is possible to transport insects purchased abroad to your homeland. On the one hand, customs may not look at the contents of your hand luggage. But it is better not to transport them in alcohol. Since it is prohibited to bring liquids with a volume of more than 100 ml .

Insect collections are often transported in the luggage compartment. Naturally, in some cases the legislation requires a special permit for the transportation of animals.
But some naturalists manage to ignore the “voice of the law” and transport their collections in some kind of container (for example, inside a guitar or double bass), thereby ignoring paperwork.
Naturally, airport workers can detect this and then they will have to answer according to the Law.

In the question “is it possible to transport collections of dried insects to the Russian Federation purchased abroad”, everything depends on many factors:

Number of insects in the collection.
Their uniqueness and value for the state from which they are exported.
Availability of permission and accompanying documents.
Individual airline requirements and other conditions.

Therefore, before transporting your collection, you should consult the airport help desk or call the operator at the airline’s phone number. They will answer all the necessary questions and explain the conditions for transporting certain luggage or the contents of hand luggage.

Where can you see real state collections of insects collected by scientists?

A real state collection of insects collected by scientists

You can see real, state collections of insects collected by scientists in museums. As a rule, these are the works of entomologists - specialists in their field. Sometimes, in order to obtain a rare adult, they go to distant, exotic countries and spend more than one week on expeditions, overcoming hardships and hardships.

Zoological museums with huge collections of insects are available in Moscow and St. Petersburg . There are also in other cities, but they are not so grandiose. The insect collection in St. Petersburg is more than 300 years old and contains about 8,000 rare specimens .

A collection of insects in glass: why you can’t keep them at home according to Feng Shui?

Collection of insects in glass

According to Feng Shui, keeping insects in collections in glass at home is prohibited. Why? Here is the answer:

Non-living organisms can change the energy in the house, which will negatively affect the life, health and well-being of the entire family.
It is the influence on the energy background that is of great importance. Despite the fact that insects can be minimal in size, even such beetles, moths, butterflies and other insects transmit very powerful negative energy. She shouldn't be in the house.
Dried insects can affect human health and make sleep worse.
Moreover, frequent conflicts, quarrels out of nowhere, and misunderstandings with loved ones are possible.

Therefore, you should think many times before bringing a collection into your home.