guide to pinning insects. how to set up your insect box: organize your insects in an “insect...

Guide to Pinning Insects

How to set up your insect box:

• Organize your insects in an “insect collection box” according to the order in which they belong.

– (It is easiest to pin your insects on a piece of covered Styrofoam and then place the Styrofoam into a Tupperware container, a shoe box, a wooden box, etc. or move the insects from your “pinning Styrofoam” into your collection box after they are pinned. )

How to set up your insect box:

• Each order of insects within your collection must be clearly grouped and have a label.

• The heads of all insects should point towards the top of the collection box when the short sides of the box are on the left and right.

• All boxes must be covered with a clear protective material such as glass or plastic wrap.

Information that you need to provide for each insect:

• On small square pieces of paper (identification tags) the following information needs to be placed:– Tag 1 (top tag)• Common name

– Tag 2 (bottom tag)• Locality of collection (town, county, state, etc.)• Date of collection• Name of collector

Information that you need to provide for each insect:

• The tags need to be placed on the insect pin below the insect so that the information on the tag can be clearly read.

How to pin your insects:

• For small or fragile adult insects:– Glue to the point of a small triangular piece of

rigid white paper, so that the insect pin goes through the center of the base of the triangle, the triangle points towards the left, and the head of the insect is towards the top of the box.


• For soft bodied insects or larvae:– Place in a vial of alcohol.• (Information to be placed on tags will be written on the

outside of the vial and the vial will then be taped in the collection box.)


• It is easiest to pin your insects on a piece of Styrofoam in order to avoid breaking appendages (if your insect does loose a leg or antennae, you can always use a small amount of glue to reattach the appendage).


• Although you can pin your insect with any type of pin (as long as all the pins are the same), specialized insect pins (size 2 or 3) making the pinning process easier as they are sharper, longer, and skinnier than most other pins.– Insect pins can be purchased through Amazon

(though this is not a requirement): http://www.amazon.com/INSECT-PINS-100-PK/dp/B001D769NG/ref=sr_1_2?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1372177916&sr=1-2&keywords=%232+insect+pins

http://www.amazon.com/INSECT-PINS-100-PK/dp/B001D769NG/ref=sr_1_2?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1372177916&sr=1-2&keywords=%232+insect+pins




• Each order of insects is pinned in a slightly different manner, but all insects need to be pinned in a manner that they are straight and even on the pins with about 1/3 of the pin above the top surface of the insect.


• Coleoptera (beetles)– Pin should pass down through the right outer

wing.


• Hemiptera and Homoptera (true bugs, aphids, and leafhoppers)– Pin should pass through the triangular scutellem,

slightly to the right.


• Lepidoptera and Odonata (butterflies, moths, and dragonflies)– Pin should pass through the center of the thorax.– Place (and pin) narrow strips of paper over the

wings to spread them nicely while the insect dries.


• Orthoptera (grasshoppers)– Pin should pass through right of the scutellum.– Left wing should be pulled out and pinned with a

strip of paper while drying.


• For all other insects:– Pin directly through the thorax a little to the right

of the midline of the body. – Leave about ¼ inch of the pin visible above the

specimen.– Make sure the insect is level on the pin (not tipped

from front to back or side to side)

Remember…

• You must have at least 25 different insects in at least 5 orders.

• 1 extra credit point will be given for each (different) insect above twenty-five and 3 extra credit points will be given for each extra order, up to 25 extra credit points.

• The grade for your collection will be considered a test grade.

• Due Date: Monday, October 21st 2013. – No late collections will be accepted.

guide to pinning insects. how to set up your insect box: organize your insects in an “insect...

Documents