There are two main methods of preparing specimens: needle insertion and liquid immersion.
For insects, the pin insertion method is generally used to prepare specimens.
The following 8 steps are required to make specimens using the pin insertion method:
1. Kill the specimen. If you want to make specimens with complete shapes, vivid colors and shapes, you often need to use just Capture fresh live insects and make them die quickly in a short period of time. Use highly toxic and powerful pesticides such as chloroform, carbon tetrachloride and other pesticides to make poison bottles or tubes.
Poison bottles and poison tubes can be made from wide-mouth glass bottles. The size of the bottle mouth can be determined according to the size of the insect body. Cork stoppers should be used instead of rubber stoppers that are easily corroded. . First put some sawdust at the bottom of the bottle, then pour the medicinal solution in until it is just saturated and the medicinal solution does not flow out, and then cover the medicinal layer with thick long paper or cork pieces. There should be several ventilation holes in the paper or wood chips to allow the poisonous gas to escape.
2. Remove the internal organs. Before making specimens, the internal organs of the insects must be removed first so that they can dry quickly after the needle is inserted. But for insects with extremely thin bodies, such as damselflies among dragonflies, it is not necessary to remove the internal organs.
During dissection, forceps can be inserted directly from the insect's neck and prothoracic dorsal junction membrane to remove various organs. Or cut an opening on the side of the abdomen along the connecting membrane between the dorsal plate and the abdominal plate, and then use tweezers to remove the organs.
Then use absorbent cotton to form a long strip of cotton plug, and use tweezers to slowly insert it into the hollowed-out insect abdomen to maintain the original shape of the insect.
3. After the temporarily stored insect is killed by the poison gas, it should be taken out of the poison bottle as soon as possible, and after removing the internal organs, place it in a pre-prepared cotton paper bag to avoid exposing the insect to damage when carrying it. Deformed and damaged due to extrusion.
The cotton paper should be wrapped in paper with good water absorption. Cut it into squares. The size should be determined according to the size of the insect body, so that it can just cover the insect body. You can pull a small piece of absorbent cotton about 0.5 cm thick and slightly smaller than the paper, flatten it and place it in the middle of the paper.
It is best to prepare a small piece of white paper attached to the absorbent cotton as a temporary swab to record the time and place of collection.
When ready, you can remove the guts of the bug and temporarily wrap it inside to prevent it from being damaged and deformed.
The storage period should not be too long. It should be within 1 to 2 days. Pay attention to opening the package in time to let it ventilate and dry to prevent it from deteriorating.
4. The insect shells will generally become brittle after being softened, dried and hardened. If no measures are taken to soften them, they are likely to break into small pieces when touched, so they must be softened before inserting the pins. soft.
The way to soften it is: replace the glass with a soft jar or other container, add distilled water to the bottom, add a few drops of carbolic acid, place the bugs on an overhead shelf, cover and seal them for 2 to 3 days. Change to soft.
If you do not have the equipment to replace the soft tank, you can also directly immerse the insects in warm water and use hot air to soften them.
5. The insect needles used to fix insect specimens are made of stainless steel, ranging from fine to thick, including No. 00, No. 0, No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4. There are 7 levels including No. 5 and No. 5.
From size 0 to size 5, 6 levels of needles come with needle caps. Only No. 00 does not have a needle cap, and its length is only half the length of other needles. It is used as a double needle for inserting specimens.
For insects that have not dried and hardened after death or have become soft, the above-mentioned needles are used to fix them. Which size needle to use should be determined based on the size of the insect.
When starting to insert the needle, first place the insect body to be made on the stinging insect table or table seam, and then select an appropriate size needle according to the size of the insect. The insect needle is inserted slightly to the right of the dorsal midline of the base of the forewing. , Hemipteran insects are inserted in the center of the prothorax or to the right of the midline of the small scute, and other insects are inserted in the center of the thorax.
6. After the pin-insertion is completed, local adjustments must be made to the pin-inserted insect according to the most correct posture of the insect, such as the position of the wings, the curvature of the insect's feet, The direction of extension of the tentacles and other aspects were adjusted one by one so that it has exactly the same posture as a living insect.
Some insect enthusiasts like to fix insects in the posture they like. They can adjust the posture and position of the insect's body, wings, legs or antennae appropriately according to their own requirements.
7. Drying After the pins are inserted and the posture is adjusted, the next step is to place the insect in a safe and ventilated place to dry for a period of time. This stage usually takes 1 to 2 weeks before it is completely dry.
8. Preservation and preservation The last step is to add an appropriate amount of anti-moth and anti-mildew agent to the insect specimen, and then insert a label. If the number of specimens is large, the specimens need to be sorted into specimen boxes and stored in a dry place protected from light.
If it is necessary to make an insect ecological scene box, the insect specimens and dried plants and flowers can also be placed in the same glass cover, or in other art frames.