Contents Method 1: Preserve insects in rubbing alcohol 1. Fill the small glass jar halfway with alcohol. 2. Look for insect corpses. 3. Identify and label the species of insects. 4. Carefully put the insect carcasses into the jar. 5. Fill the remaining space in the glass jar with alcohol. Method 2: Use hand sanitizer to preserve insects 1. Pour ? of hand sanitizer into the jar. 2. Put the insect corpses into hand sanitizer. 3. Boil the glass jar to remove air bubbles. 4. Fill the jar with hand sanitizer. Method 3: Preserve insects using pin insertion method 1. Purchase insect pins and foam boards. 2. The specimen softens. 3. Nail the insect carcasses to the foam board. 4. Fix the insects and label them. 5. Air-dry the insect corpses. 6. Label the specimen. Method 4: Use the needle insertion method to make butterfly specimens 1. Purchase utensils. 2. Prepare the wingspan. 3. Prepare wax paper strips. 4. Soften the butterfly. 5. Pierce the body of the butterfly with a needle. 6. Separate the wings. 7. Use pin insertion to fix the wings. 8. Position the wings and fix them with pins. 9. Final adjustments. 10. Label the butterflies. Insects are wonderful and complex creatures. Many people derive pleasure from the process of preserving insect specimens. Often people prepare insect specimens as a hobby or for scientific identification and research purposes. Whether you kill insects intentionally or unintentionally, or find dead insects in your home, there are many ways to preserve them. Soft-bodied insects, such as caterpillars and various insect larvae, are often preserved with rubbing alcohol. Insects with harder bodies, such as butterflies, moths, beetles and bees, can be preserved by needle insertion. If the insect has an exoskeleton, the ideal preservation method is to pin it into a dried specimen.

Method 1: Preserve insects in rubbing alcohol

1. Fill the small glass jar halfway with alcohol. Rubbing alcohol has antiseptic properties, prevents dehydration, and prevents insect carcasses from breaking into pieces. The glass jar must be larger than the insect, but it doesn’t have to be too big. If the jar is very large and the bugs inside are small, you will waste a lot of alcohol. Most rubbing alcohol solutions have a concentration of 70% and are suitable for preserving dead insects. You can also use a higher concentration, such as 80% or 85% alcohol. Some insects preserve better in high concentrations of alcohol.

Insects that are more suitable for preservation in high-concentration alcohol include spiders, scorpions, earthworms, and small insects such as lice and silverfish.

Glass jars must be able to cover tightly and the jar body must not have cracks.

2. Look for insect corpses. Remember, soft-bodied insects are often preserved in alcohol. Insect carcasses are found everywhere, in window frames, around the house, and in spider webs. Only complete corpses are valuable for preservation. Insect corpses that have been dead for many days and have begun to rot or break are not very good at preserving. There are also many ways you can catch bugs yourself, such as catching butterflies or moths with a net. Some people object to killing insects for taxidermy because they feel it is unethical, but active capture is a good way to obtain insect carcasses.

3. Identify and label the species of insects. Since you want to make insect specimens, you must know what type of insect you are looking at. This is even more important if the purpose of preserving insect carcasses is for scientific research. Write the genus and species of the insect, the place and time of collection, and the name of the collector on the label. Finally, the confidence-complete label is affixed to the alcohol-infused glass jar. There are many websites that can help you identify insect species. First, try logging into BugGuide.net or InsectIdentification.org to query. If you don't find the answer on either site, talk to your local entomologist.

4. Carefully put the insect corpses into the jar. Be gentle and handle with care: insect corpses are very fragile and can be crushed if not careful. It's best to use pliers or tweezers to pick up the dead insect, as your fingers may break or crush parts of the dead insect. If the bug is stinging (bees or wasps) or venomous, wear silicone gloves when handling it.

5. Fill the remaining space in the glass jar with alcohol. Wait for the insect carcasses to sink to the bottom of the jar before pouring in alcohol. The alcohol should be poured slowly, as pouring it too quickly will destroy the insect corpses. Place the lid securely on and place the glass jar in a safe place. If you plan to prepare a large number of insect specimens, it may be best to clear out an entire tabletop for displaying the specimens.

Keep specimen jars away from food, children, and pets.

Method 2: Use hand sanitizer to preserve insects

1. Pour ? of hand sanitizer into the jar. The function of hand sanitizer is roughly similar to that of alcohol. It also has the function of antisepsis and preventing the corpses of insects from breaking up. But hand sanitizer is denser than alcohol, and the bug carcasses will be suspended in the jar, making the specimen more attractive and easier to observe. Choose a glass jar that is larger than the size of the insect, but not too big or you will waste the hand sanitizer.

2. Put the insect corpses into hand sanitizer. Do not touch insects directly with your hands. The correct method is to use tweezers or pliers to pick up the insect. Gently press the insect body into the hand sanitizer until it is suspended in the gel-like liquid. When pressing fragile insects such as bees or wasps into hand soap, be careful not to damage the insect's wings or other parts of its body.

It may be difficult to preserve larger insects such as butterflies with hand sanitizer because the gel liquid can cause the insect's body to break. Although some insects with hard bodies can be preserved with hand sanitizer, when choosing objects to preserve, try to avoid insects with soft protrusions such as wings or tentacles.

3. Boil the glass jar to remove air bubbles. The bubbles in the hand sanitizer will affect the appearance of the specimen. In order to remove the bubbles, you need to prepare a milk pot. Pour 2.5 to 5 cm deep water into the pot, bring the water to a boil over high heat, then put the glass jar (the jar is filled with hand sanitizer, and the insect corpses are floating on the surface of the hand sanitizer) into the boiling water, and lower the heat slowly. Simmer for 15 minutes. Do not put the lid on or the glass jar will burst. Be careful not to let water get into the jar, as water will affect the preservation effect or cause the hand sanitizer to dissolve.

Many people think that bubbles will affect the appearance and make people unable to concentrate on observing insects. If you don't care if there are bubbles in the jar, skip this step.

4. Fill the jar with hand sanitizer. Remove the jar from the boiling water and let it come to room temperature, then pour in more hand sanitizer to submerge the insect carcasses and fill the jar. Then stick the tweezers or pliers into the soap and reposition the insect to your liking. Label the outside of the glass jar, screw on the lid, and your specimen is ready. Under adult supervision, children can hold the specimen jars in their hands and observe. This canned specimen is best suited for display in a museum or at an outreach event.

Method 3: Preserve insects with pin insertion method

1. Purchase insect pins and foam boards. Insect pins are a specific type of thumbtack, made of tempered steel and usually 3.5cm long. To avoid damaging the insect carcasses, the insect needles are made very thin. If the insect that needs to be fixed has a thick body, choose a thicker insect needle. If the insect has a thin body, choose a thinner needle. Any type of foam board can be used as long as the density of the foam board is high enough so that the insects will not fall off after inserting the pins. Another common practice is to insert insect carcasses into soft wood.

Insect needles and foam (or cork) mounting boards can be purchased at handicraft supply stores or on websites such as Taobao.

2. The specimen softens. If you plan to reposition an insect carcass, rehydrate the carcass first. Touch the insect's feet to see if they are stiff. If the insect legs can be moved freely, there is no need to soften them. Find an airtight container. Dampen a cloth or paper towels with rubbing alcohol and place in the bottom of the container. Ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, and even nail polish remover can be used to rehydrate insect carcasses. Do not place insect carcasses directly on a damp cloth. Place a cloth or dry paper towel folded in several layers on top of the damp cloth, then place the insect carcass on the surface of the dry paper towel. Here you need to keep the insect carcass dry but also expose it to alcohol mist. Many layers of dry cloth or dry paper towels must be placed under the insect carcasses. This is the key to the success of softening the specimen. Most hard-shelled insects take at least three days to soften. Large-sized insects require at least 5 days. You can check the status of the insect carcasses every day. As long as the insect's feet can be freely manipulated, the softening will be successful.

If too much alcohol is used, if there is no dry material between the insect corpses and the wet paper towel or cloth, or if the specimen is left in a sealed box for too long, the insect corpses will rot because they are too wet. To prevent this from happening, place multiple layers of dry paper towels or dry cloth under the dead insect.

If the insect carcass shows signs of decay, you may still be able to save it. Don't pick up the bug yet, but take the bug out with the dry paper towel underneath and place it outside to dry. Wait for the insect carcass to dry before trying to soften it.

3. Nail the insect carcasses to the foam board. Pin pricking is the most effective method of preserving hard-shelled insects. Insert the needle into the insect's thorax (the middle of the insect body) until about the length of the needle enters the insect's body. The final effect to be achieved is that when picking up the bug with a needle, your hand will not come into contact with the bug. When pinning the beetle, insert the pin into the center of the right elytra.

4. Fix the insects and label them. Insert the insect needle into the foam board to a depth of approximately 1.3 cm. Be careful not to damage the insect carcass when inserting. The bug can remain in the same pose as when it died, or more needles can be inserted to reshape it. If the insect has been dead for a long time, you must first let the insect body soften and make sure that the insect's legs can be manipulated as you like before repositioning it. When styling the worm's feet, do not insert the needle directly into the foam, but instead insert the needle into the foam and let the worm's feet rest against the needle. As the insect body slowly dries, the position of the insect's legs becomes fixed. If the insect's legs keep moving, insert two needles diagonally across the foam board to make an X-shaped shelf, and place the insect's legs on the top.

5. Air-dry the insect corpses. The time to dry bugs can range from 1 day to 2 weeks, depending on the size of the bugs. Small bugs like ladybugs can dry in a day, bees three days, and larger ones at least a week. Use a needle to gently press the insect's legs to check whether the specimen is completely dry. If the insect legs move, continue to air dry. If the bug is stiff and motionless, it means drying is complete. At this time, you can remove the needle. Finally, put the specimen into the display frame.

6. Label the specimens. First you need to identify the genus and species of the insect, and then print this information clearly on paper. In addition, the label must indicate the place and date the specimen was collected, as well as the name of the collector. Some collectors will also note the insect's living environment, such as when it was found eating leaves or hiding under a tree trunk.

When framing, thread the label on the main pin that holds the specimen, or fix it near the specimen. If the specimen is not in a display frame, store it in a display cabinet or chest of drawers, or in a wooden cigar box. Put some mothballs in the box to keep insects at bay.

Method 4: Use the pin insertion method to make butterfly specimens

1. Purchase utensils. You'll want to use an insect needle and flat-tipped tweezers. The diameter of butterfly needles ranges from 0.25 mm to 0.75 mm, which is thinner than ordinary insect needles. If the insect body is thicker, choose a thick needle, otherwise choose a thin needle. The length of butterfly stitch is usually around 3.5cm. Do not use ordinary tweezers. Ordinary tweezers are not flat-ended and will puncture the butterfly wings.

2. Prepare the wing spreading board. You can make your own foam fin board by: Prepare a flat piece of foam board and dig out a straight groove on the center line. The groove should be wide and deep enough to accommodate the entire body of the butterfly or moth except for the wings. As long as the density is high enough so that the insects will not fall off after being inserted, any type of foam can be made into a wing spreading board. The wings of a butterfly or moth will expand when fixed to the board, so the foam board must be large enough.

Cork or bossa wood is often used instead of foam.

You can buy fins with an inclined V-shaped surface. When the butterfly is fixed on it, its wings are also tilted. It is best to buy V-shaped fins, but you can also make your own. If you want to do it yourself, be careful not to get carpenter's glue everywhere or it will get in the way of inserting the pins.

Insect needles and wing-spreading boards (made of foam or cork) can be purchased at handicraft supplies stores or on websites such as Taobao.

3. Prepare wax paper strips. Cut 4 strips of wax paper, the length of the butterfly's wings (from top to bottom) plus 2.5cm. Butterflies and moths are fragile and their wings are easily damaged. It is for this reason that you need to secure the wings with strips of wax paper to avoid getting pricked by the needle. In case you don’t have enough, you can prepare a few extra strips of wax paper.

4. Soften the butterfly. Unless the butterfly has just died, you usually need to rehydrate the butterfly and soften it. If you feel almost no resistance when you gently touch the butterfly's feet, skip this step. Here's how to soften it: Prepare an airtight container. Dampen a cloth or several kitchen towels with rubbing alcohol. Place a cloth or paper towel on the bottom of the container. Ethanol, isopropyl alcohol and nail polish remover can all be used as rehydrating solutions. Do not place butterflies directly on a damp cloth or paper towel. Place several layers of cloth or dry paper towels on top of the wet paper towels, then a square of wax paper, and finally place the butterfly on the wax paper. You want to keep the butterfly dry but also expose it to the alcohol mist. The key to successful resoftening is to lay down many layers of dry material. Small butterflies (1 to 5 cm long) take only one day to soften, medium butterflies (2.5 to 20 cm long) may take several days, and large butterflies may take up to five days. You can try to spread the butterfly's wings to check whether the butterfly has absorbed enough water. The specific method is to use tweezers to separate the two wings from the gap on the top of the butterfly's head. If you feel resistance during this process, it means the butterfly has not absorbed enough water. If you find that the forewings are a little stiff and unable to unfold flatly when inserting the needle, it means the butterfly needs more time to soften.

If too much alcohol is used, the butterfly comes into direct contact with the wet paper towel, or the softening time is too long, the specimen will become wet and then rot. When this happens, the specimen is too damaged to be pinned. To prevent the specimen from absorbing too much water, you'll want to place several layers of dry material between the specimen and the wet paper towel.

Even if the butterfly begins to rot, there is still a way to save it. Do not touch the butterfly directly, but remove it along with the paper towel underneath and set it aside to dry. Check the status of the butterfly. If the wings are stuck together, try using tweezers to separate them and place strips of wax paper between the wings until the wings are dry. Wait until the wings are completely dry before trying to soften them.

5. Pierce the body of the butterfly with a needle. After the butterfly softens, gently pinch the butterfly's chest. Don't pinch the butterfly's belly, as this will break the body. You want to pinch the butterfly from below the ribcage, making sure the wings are spread upward. The needle should be inserted vertically into the butterfly's chest, not at an angle. Push the butterfly down so that the needle enters the butterfly's body. The purpose of the pin is to pick up and move the butterfly without touching it with your hands. Insert the butterfly into the groove on the wing spreader board. The needle should be inserted deep enough to ensure that the bottom of the wing is parallel to the surface of the wing plate. It doesn't matter if the needle is inserted diagonally at this time, as long as the wings are flat on the wing-spreading board.

6. Spread the wings apart. Use tweezers to separate the wings. Close the tweezers and insert them between the wings, then open the tweezers. Take a strip of wax paper and tuck it between the wings. The ends of the wax paper strips should be exposed from both ends of the wings, so they must be long enough. Once the two wings are separated with a strip of wax paper, take another strip of wax paper and press it against the wing on the other side of the needle. The strips of wax paper are used to flatten the wings. Even if you can't separate the wings with the tips of the tweezers, don't force the wax paper between the wings from above. Doing so will most likely result in the wing tips being bent or torn. Try inserting the wax paper from the front, just above the butterfly's head, as there is usually a gap between the wings at the shoulder joint.

7. Use pin insertion to fix the wings. Grasp the wax paper and press the wings flat against the spreader board. The needle should not be inserted into the wing, but into the wax paper. The wax paper must be taut or the wings will move. Fix the wings on both sides in the same way.

After you start inserting needles, if you find that the forewings cannot spread out flatly, it means that the wings are not soft enough. Do not press on the wings as this will crack them. To save time, you can leave the wax paper in the middle of the wings while you continue the softening process.

If the wings move, pull the strip of wax paper tighter and insert the insect needle at an angle. There should be an obtuse angle between the insect needle and the wing so that the needle holds the wax paper more firmly.

8. Position the wings and fix them with pins. Start with the forewings. First, temporarily pull out the insect needle with the tip inserted into the wax paper. Don't remove the wax paper or the wings will close again. Don't touch the wings directly with your hands. The correct way is to hold the wings with your hands or tweezers through wax paper. While loosening the wax paper, grab the wing with tweezers and pull it to where you want it. The tweezers should be clamped to the middle of the upper end of the wing, not the tip. Once the wings are pulled into place, secure the wax paper with pins again. The butterfly's hind wings are even more fragile. Clamp the sides of the hind wings and pull them up or down. Do not pull the wings in the opposite direction from the body as this will tear them apart. Finally, it is still fixed with pins. As you move one wing down, don't forget to hold down the other wing on the same side.

Some butterflies have a thick wing vein on their forewings. If you don't have flat-tipped tweezers, hold the insect needle against the wing veins and push the wing forward. When pushing, the needle should not be pointed down, but should be placed sideways against the wing veins, otherwise the wings will be punctured. When the wings are adjusted to the position you are happy with, insert insect pins into the wax paper to secure them.

Wear gloves. Oils from the skin can cause the scales on a butterfly's wings to fall off. If your hands are sweaty, even if you are wearing gloves and using wax paper, the scales on the butterfly wings will fall off. It is recommended that you dry your hands from time to time.

9. Final adjustments. If the butterfly wings are still uneven, cut some wax paper onto them and insert pins to secure them. Butterflies have very fragile antennae and legs, and if these parts are still intact, you can use leftover insect pins to orient them. This process requires a lot of patience.

10. Label the butterfly. Figure out the genus and species of the butterfly and print the information on a slip of paper. The label should also indicate where the specimen was collected, the date of collection and the person who collected it. Some collectors will write down the environment in which the butterfly was found, such as when it was eating leaves or hiding under a tree trunk. Thread the tag onto the main needle inserted into the butterfly's ribcage. If you want to make a large number of insect specimens using the needle insertion method and expand the size of your collection, prepare enough sponge boards or cork.

Store pin specimens in a display cabinet or chest of drawers, or you can place them in a wooden cigar box. Put some mothballs in the box to keep insects at bay.

Tips: The specimens should not be exposed to direct sunlight, as this will cause discoloration.

The insect carcass must first soften and then be repositioned, otherwise the insect legs will break.

Be gentle when handling insects. They are much more delicate than you think!

Always wash your hands before and after contact with insects.

Never inhale alcohol mist directly.