Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Add an Insect to Your Collection
Capture the bug you want to add to your collection using a kill jar. Take care to avoid damaging its body.
Wait until your bug is dead and remove it from the jar.
Pin the insect to the mounting surface.
Identify a Bug in Your Collection
Secure a book or chart for identifying bugs, such as the 'National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders' (see Resources below).
Observe your bug's physical appearance. Write down your observations, including the number of body sections, number of legs, body coloring and existence of pincers.
Use a book, website or chart to compare your bug's appearance with the illustrations and descriptions of bugs in your resource.
Identify and label your bug.
Determine Whether Your Bug Is an Insect
Learn common insect anatomy. An insect usually has six legs and three body parts.
Look for a head, thorax and abdomen. If your bug has these body parts and six legs, it may very well be an insect.
Determine If Your Bug Is an Arachnid
Look for a two-part body. An arachnid's body consists of an anterior (front) and a posterior (back) section.
Examine the anterior portion of your bug's body. If it is an arachnid, its mouth and sense organs will be part of its anterior. This section of its body will also contain pairs of limbs.
Observe your bug's legs. If it is an arachnid, it may have four legs for walking and one pair that is used as pincers. Some arachnids have a second pair of pincers, as well.