https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/bug-collectingpinning • Posted by DarkAshHurts
Firstly, id like say that im an AMATEUR Bug Collector. Most this stuff i learned from books or internet, & adjusted it to my cheap budget. You can do some research of your own, for better quality job...but it works for me. ;) I have a deep love & fascination for bugs, & i use them as inspiration/reference in my artwork. So collecting them seemed natural to me. Bug Collecting has been a popular hobby since Victorian times. . I'll try to answer any questions/problems you have. THIS PROJECT FOR ADULTS ONLY!! (Bc of difficulty & use of chemicals!) ***IF U DONT 'AGREE' WITH THIS PROJECT, ID APPRECIATE IT IF U DONT COMMENT. & READ MY PREVIOUS COMMENTS BEFOREHAND. THIS IS FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE IT & WANT TO LEARN. THANK YOU***
Firstly, id like say that im an AMATEUR Bug Collector. Most this stuff i learned from books or internet, & adjusted it to my cheap budget. You can do some research of your own, for better quality job...but it works for me. ;) I have a deep love & fascination for bugs, & i use them as inspiration/reference in my artwork. So collecting them seemed natural to me. Bug Collecting has been a popular hobby since Victorian times. . I'll try to answer any questions/problems you have. THIS PROJECT FOR ADULTS ONLY!! (Bc of difficulty & use of chemicals!) ***IF U DONT 'AGREE' WITH THIS PROJECT, ID APPRECIATE IT IF U DONT COMMENT. & READ MY PREVIOUS COMMENTS BEFOREHAND. THIS IS FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE IT & WANT TO LEARN. THANK YOU***
To Collect bugs you need: + a "Killing Jar" (to safely kill insects) + a "Spreading Board" (to spread wings & pin them) + a Display Box (to display them) . Im going to show you how to do all this, SO simply & for free!!! With stuff from around your house! :D
First you make a "Killing Jar" to expire the insect. . You will need: Glass Jar with tight lid (mines an old spagetti sauce jar), cottonball, rubbing alcohol, cardboard (mines a cereal box).
Dab a cottonball with 'rubbing alcohol', & place it in the jar. . ** The alcohol is your 'killing agent'. It will paralyze & eventually kill the insect. There are harsher, more effective chemicals you can use, but theyre harder to find. These chemicals are: ethyl-acetate, cyanide, or tetrachloride NEVER USE WITHOUT AN ADULT, & AWAY FROM PETS!
Next, cut a round piece of cardboard, about the same circumference as the inside of the jar ....Place it inside the jar, on top of the cottonball. . **This keeps the bug from touching the wet chemical which can damage or discolor it.**
Go outside & Catch A Bug!!! This is the funnest part! . I recommend using a net, or you can damage the bug. Especially butterflies/moths, whos wings lose color "scales" from contact. *Cheap Way: Use a old fish-aquarium net, like i do! ...HEY It Works!
Place bug inside the Killing Jar, & close lid tightly. Set it aside & come back in hour or more. . **The alcohol will eventually kill the poor bug. (faster, if u use a harsher chemical) Say your sorry, pray, cry ...if it makes u feel better. lol
**Within 3 days you HAVE to spread/pin the bug while its soft.** . Spreading/Pinning: Heres my "Spreading Board" (see pic). Mine is made from thick cardboard, which i cut small slits into, to sit the insects body in. Also cut small thin strips of paper to hold down the wings. & get some sewing pins. . ** Watch a quick video (not mine) on pinning here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFacqZ9CM4w
You could buy stupid expensive Pins to pin your bugs, but why?? . Cheap Way: I use regular sewing pins! & for the ones in the insect, I just bite the end balls off. lol It works perfectly!
(Now for most difficult parts) Place bug body in crevice of S-board & pin it thru its middle thorax ...trying not to ever touch the bugs wings. Pin it firmly to the board also. . **This is extremely hard for butterflies, who die with wings closed up. Takes patience. (For pics i am using a moth; much easier.)**
+ Pin one end of paper-strip above the wings. + Use a extra pin to easily drag wings up & out (do not pierce wing! Be very gentle). Once theyre mostly out, lay strip ontop of them, holding wings down with finger overtop strip. + Use the pin to contine to position the wings where you want them, (never touch wings with ur hands!). + Once satisfied, hold in place, & pin the paper tight on the other end. . **This really just takes practice, its very annoying & difficult ...you will curse at some point. >.< **
Repeat for other wing. . Once you have them lookin good... Set board somewhere safe to dry out insect, for at least a week.
Heres a side view. :)
You do the same for other bugs with wings ...like grasshoppers, dragonflies, etc. . On hard bodied bugs (like the bumblebee in my pictures & beetles) you can just use pins to position legs, antenna, wings... without the paper strips!. Just move it in place with pin, & stick the pin next to it.
*Once dry, the bugs become extremely fragile & break easily!* . . anywho..a week later... Carefully remove the holding strips, & lift the bug out by the pin.
Pin your new specimen to a Display Box, & your done! . (Learn to make a awesome Bug Display Box in my tutorial here!: http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/bug-display-case )
ALTERNATE WAY: (someone asked me about this) If you find a DEAD BUG that you like, you might be able to pin it also. If it hasnt been dead too long, it can be re-hydrated to become soft & managable again. All you do is stick it into a killing jar with WATER instead of alcohol on cottonball. Within 2 days, it will get soft again. ...then you do the same pinning process! (if it ever smells, i wouldnt use it tho eww)