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Conserve O Gram
September 2006 Number 11/
Storage of Insect Specimens
Insect specimens are prepared and preserved
in a variety of formats depending on a number
of factors such as life stage, collecting method,
species group, and/or research objective. These
factors determine curation objectives. Stor-
age options will also depend on the extent and
diversity of your collection. In general, insects
are collected and/or stored as dried specimens
or in fluids. An introductory text on entomol-
ogy such as Borrer, et al (1989) will provide
general principles for collection, preparation,
and storage of insect specimens. The World
Wide Web is another great source of informa-
tion. Be aware that there may be exceptions to
every general rule.
Insects may be preserved either as dried or wet
specimens. Dried specimens may be preserved
on pins, mounted on points, or in envelopes.
For pinned specimens, larger insects are pinned
through their bodies and smaller insects are
mounted on points. In larger collections not
all specimens of butterflies and moths may be
pinned. Some may be stored in glassine enve-
lopes. The current standard for curating large
collections of dragonflies and damselflies is
placing specimens and supporting cards in clear
envelopes.
Figure 2: Insect specimen curation in unit trays
placed in drawer within entomology cabinet.
Dried, pinned insects are generally stored
in unit trays that are placed in insect draw-
ers which are housed in entomology cabinets.
However, a small collection may be housed in
Curation Of Insect Specimens
Figure 1: Various curation methods for insects.
National Park Service Conserve O Gram 11/
a series of boxes (preferably with tightly fitting
lids) and placed within a well-sealed cabinet for
added protection against pests. Dried speci-
mens in envelopes are stored in appropriately
sized boxes in drawers and cabinets. Ideally,
collection organization should follow a taxo-
nomic arrangement to the family level, after
which genera and species can be organized
alphabetically.
Figure 3: Storage of wet specimens, one option.
Insects collected in fluids may remain in fluid,
be transferred to another fluid, or pinned, if
appropriate. Collection fluids other than 70%
alcohol are usually used for initial preservation
purposes and not for long term storage. In
general, all soft bodied insects should remain in
70% alcohol, whereas hard bodied specimens
can be removed from alcohol, rinsed, relaxed
if necessary (see relaxing specimens below),
and pinned. There may be reasons to keep
whole samples in alcohol. For example, it may
be more efficient to keep fish stomach samples
complete in individual vials rather than sepa-
rate and pin some specimens.
Specimens in alcohol can be stored in individ-
ual vials or in shell vials within larger museum
jars. How wet specimens are stored will depend
on the extent and purpose of the collection.
Tightly fitting seals will reduce evaporation of
alcohol and subsequent curatorial time and
materials in maintaining these types of speci-
mens. Larger collections will have dedicated
storage for wet specimens. If your collection
is small, there are unit trays for vials for use in
insect drawers.
Dried unprocessed specimens will need to be
“relaxed” before pinning. There are a number
of ways to relax specimens. A relaxing cham-
ber can be created by placing damp paper
towels in the bottom of a sealed container.
Figure 4: Two methods for relaxing insects.
Relaxing chamber.
Relaxing beetles in hot water.
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Small insects of any group should be mounted
on points. Points are made with a point punch
which creates triangular shaped pieces of card-
stock. The insect pin goes through the wide
end of the point and the small insect is glued
to the narrow point. The point can be curved
with forceps to provide additional support
for the specimen. Use as little glue as possible
and be careful not to obscure any identifying
characteristics. The point is glued to the right
side of the insect so heads all face right. Very
tiny and/or fragile specimens are sometimes
double mounted (see references and web pages
for details).
Figure 8: Position of labels underneath specimens.
Specimen with various labels as well as genetalic
vial (containing dissected genetalia).
Insect labels for most pinned specimens may
vary somewhat in size but ideally should not
be larger than 2 x 1 cm. Labels are place on the
pin below the insect with the top of the labels
facing right. Ideally, multiple labels are placed
at intervals so they can all be read without
moving them. However, if there are too many
labels they will have to be compressed. This
could happen if a specimens was identified a
number of times by different researchers who
should each add their own label. No labels
should ever be removed (except field collection
labels).
Figure 7: Mounting insects on points.
From USDA website for Systematic Ento-
mology
B) Correct positioning of point and labels
on pin. C) Attachment of card point to right
Conserve O Gram 11/8 National Park Service
Label data for insect specimens is limited due
to small label size however, the following data
should be included: country, state, county,
location, UTMs, elevation, collection date, col-
lector, and collection number, when provided.
Collection method or habitat data, if given, can
be added to the label if there is room. Habitat
data is sometimes placed on a second label. A
label with accession and catalog numbers will
also need to be created.
Example:
USA: WA: Clallam Co.,
Olympic National Park
near Elwha Campground, 320 ft.
UTM: 10 / 456212 / 5319339
22 Aug.2000, Coll. D. Smith #
Figure 9: Specimens lined up by species in unit tray.
Due to the diversity of insect species and sheer
numbers of representatives, space is of utmost
importance in the storage options of insects.
Pinned specimens should be labeled with
appropriately sized labels and pinned in rows
in unit trays as closely together as possible
while maintaining enough space to remove
individual specimens from the tray. The first
specimen of a species should have the identi-
fication label turned 90 degrees to the left so
it can be read without turning the unit tray.
Individuals of the same species can be lined up
evenly in rows until the next species which will
start a new row as before.
Insects are fragile and with use and over time
appendages may fall off. Tarsi, legs, and anten-
nae can be glued back on. White glue has been
traditionally used. White glue has the advan-
tage of being reversible with warm water. If
it is not possible to reattach the appendage,
another option is to glue it to a card and pin
the card directly underneath the specimen
above all the labels. Be ABSOLUTELY certain
that whatever is being reconnected definitely
came from that specimen. Accuracy of data is
very important.
A few common pests can wreak havoc in
insect collections. Pests can either be local
species or introduced from incoming collec-
tions. Thus, incoming collections must be care-
fully inspected. A reference on museum pests
appropriate to your area will aid in their detec-
tion, identification, prevention, and control.
Inspect insect drawers frequently. If an infes-
tation is discovered, freeze the entire drawer,
box, or container for at least 2 weeks.
Light can quickly damage insect specimens. A
piece of cardboard placed over the glass top
will effectively keep light off the specimens
while a drawer is removed from its cabinet and
not in immediate use.
Shipping of Insect Specimens
The study of insects is still in a stage of
intense activity. New species are described
with regularity and taxonomy continues to
be updated. The field of entomology is over-
whelming in scope and entomologists spe-
cialize in particular groups for study. Thus,
at some point, you may need to ship insect
National Park Service Conserve O Gram 11/
there is plenty of padding in the packing box
to protect the number, size, and weight of the
shipped containers.
Information sources:
There are many ways to get more information
about collecting, curating, and caring for insect
collections. A web search using keywords such
as insects, entomology, or voucher specimens
will provide numerous web pages with a variety
of interesting and useful information. Acquir-
ing general insect references for your particular
locale can be immensely helpful. There are
also national and local insect organizations and
groups which can provide current updates on
conservation issues.
References:
Borrer D.J., C.A. Triplehorn, and N.F. John-
son. 1989. An Introduction to the Study of Insects ,
th
edition. Saunders College Publishing, San
Francisco.
Dunn, Gary A. 1994. A Beginner’s Guide to
Observing and Collecting Insects. Young Entomolo-
gist’s Society, Lansing, MI.
Peigler, Richard S. 1992. Shipping of pinned
insects. Collection Forum 8(2): 73-77.
Vendor for entomological supplies:
BioQuip website: www.bioquip.com
Useful web pages:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/site_main.htm
?docid=10141&page=1*
This is the USDA site for Systematic Entomol-
ogy and provides great detail on all aspects of
collecting, preserving, and shipping of insects.*
- This manual is an updated and modified
version of the USDA Misc. Publication no.
1443 published by the Agricultural Research
service in 1986 and Edited by George C.
Steyskal, William L. Murphy, and Edna M.
Hoover.
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/site_main.htm
?docid=10141&page=
Page 9 of the USDA site for Systematic
Entomology contains information on
specimen preparation.
http://entowww.tamu.edu/links/collect1.html
This site provides simple instructions for
collecting and preserving insects.
http://members.aol.com/yesclub2/
tip003.html
This site provides a variety of methods for
relaxing dried specimens.
http://bohart.ucdavis.edu/bohart.asp?s=collec
ting&f=preserve.html
This site contains photographic images for
various aspects of preparing and labeling insect
specimens.
http://www.cals.edu/entomolgoy/research_
vouchers.html
This site provides information on the value
and importance of voucher specimens.
The Conserve O Gram series is published as a reference on collections
management and curatorial issues. Mention of a product, a manu-
facturer, or a supplier by name in this publication does not consti-
tute an endorsement of that product or supplier by the National
Park Service. Sources named are not all inclusive. It is suggested
that readers also seek alternative product and vendor information
in order to assess the full range of available supplies and equipment.
The series is distributed to all NPS units and is available to non-
NPS institutions and interested individuals on line at <http:
//www.cr.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/
cons_toc.html>. For further information and guidance con-
cerning any of the topics or procedures addressed in the series,
contact NPS Park Museum Management Program, 1849 C
Street NW (2265), Washington, DC 20240; (202) 354-2000.
Curation of Insect Specimens 8
National Park Service Conserve O Gram 11/
http://www.xerces.org/home.htm
This site provides information on invertebrate
conservation issues.
Gay Hunter
Museum Curator
Olympic National Park
