Background Ideas for an Insect Collection

Minimalist Backgrounds

• Many entomologists, scientists who study insects, display their insects in Schmitt boxes or Cornell drawers. Both of these cases are made out of wood and lined with polyethylene foam to which the insects are pinned. Cigar boxes lined with foam or cork are sometimes used by amateur insect collectors as a cheaper alternative. Many times, entomologists do not add any background to their cases, allowing the white foam to form the background for them. If you want your insect collection to mimic the minimalist approach of the scientific community, you may choose to leave the foam, cork or other substance to which you have mounted your insects as the only background.

Formal Backgrounds

• When insect collections are put on formal display, such as in a shadow box, a plain black or white background is often used. Black velvet may be a good choice if you want to show off white or iridescent insects. White linen is good for making dark insects stand out. Any kind of thin fabric that can accommodate slender pins is fine, but make sure it does not have large pile that will overwhelm your insects or a tough backing that may warp your pins.

Informative Backgrounds

• For school projects, you may want your background to communicate additional information about your insects. A background that mimics an insect's habitat or favorite food can be informative and fun. For example, you can mount ants on a red and white checkered background at angles that suggest that they are crawling over a picnic blanket. Bees can be pinned onto fabric cutouts of local flowers and beetles on shapes of the leaves they eat.

Creative Backgrounds

• Creative backgrounds can make your insect collection into a work of art. Pick two or more fabric colors that coordinate with the room that will be hosting the display, cut patchwork squares from the fabric, and alternate the colors inside the display case, pinning a different insect to each square. You can also pick fabrics with colors or patterns that allow your insect to either stand out or to blend in as part of the design. You can make a walking stick become part of a brown pinstripe pattern or create a red beetle cherry on top of an ice cream sundae.