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How to Preserve Bugs for a Bug Collection

Collecting and preserving insects became a popular hobby in the early part of the 19th century when discoveries in natural science were introduced to the middle classes. For professionals and amateurs alike, insect collecting is still a widespread pastime. With patience, knowledge and a steady hand, creating an insect collection suitable for display can be accomplished. For the beginner, beetles and other hard-body insects are easiest to preserve and display; butterflies and moths require more skill and patience. Before pinning dried insects, they may need to be relaxed to avoid breakage.

Things You'll Need

Plastic or glass food storage container with lid
Paper towel
Ethyl acetone
Cotton batting
Tissue paper
Insect pins
Forceps
Styrofoam
Display box

Instructions

Relaxing Insects
- 1
  Dampen a paper towel with water and place in the storage container.
- 2
  Add a few drops of ethyl acetone to prevent mold development.
- 3
  Cover the paper towel with a layer of cotton batting and then cover the cotton batting with tissue paper.
- 4
  Place the insect to be relaxed onto the tissue paper; seal the container and leave for a minimum of 24 hours.
Pinning Beetles
- 5
  
  Beetles are one of the easiest insects to preserve.
  
  Place the relaxed beetle onto Styrofoam, legs side down.
- 6
  Insert an insect pin through the upper-right forewing (elytron), making sure the specimen is level. Leave enough pin length above the insect for easy grasping.
- 7
  Position the legs evenly on both sides. Use pins in front of or behind the legs to hold them in place until dry.
- 8
  Place it in a display box when the specimen is completely dry.
Spreading Wings
- 9
  
  Some insects require the spreading of wings to preserve.
  
  Grasp the underside of the thorax (middle body section) of the relaxed insect and gently squeeze and hold to open wings.
- 10
  Insert an insect pin through the upper-right side of the thorax as above and place the pinned insect onto Styrofoam.
- 11
  Place tissue paper over the wings on each side and pin the paper to Styrofoam. Make sure the pin is not through the wings.
- 12
  Use forceps to re-position the wings so they are evenly spread out at a 90-degree angle from the body.
- 13
  Re-pin the paper to hold the wing position and allow to dry for a minimum of 24 hours.

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