How to Relax and Pin Dehydrated Insects
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- Опубліковано 2 тра 2018
- It is best to pin insects immediately after you collect them, but sometimes that is not possible. In these cases making a relaxing or rehydration chamber can be very beneficial. In this episode we show you how to create a relaxing chamber and I attempt to pin some really old long horn beetles after relaxing their bodies.
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Just recently dropped alcohol and went into bug pinning as my new hobby; thank you for this knowledge even though it was posted 5 years ago as of now 🙏🙏🙏
i hope your hobby is still going strong!!
I have a bumblebee I found in my grandparents’ light fixture that hadn’t been changed in about thirty years. She’d been there so long she’s all faded! Still sweet though and I’m really hoping to give her a second life as art, so thank you so much
😭
Did it work for you?
@@elysianfields84 alas, you’d think in two years I would have gotten around to trying 😔
Any update?
@@echoless3474 … nope. Intent’s still there though
He attacc
He protecc
But most Importantly,
He pin insecc
ha ha nice poem.
why did i enjoy this so much lmao
george duarte insects can be a surprisingly fun hobby!
@@InsectHunterHunter thanks I'm definitely gonna try it out thanks to you.
70 th like :P
This was really helpful!
I make resin art with insects and spiders but struggle with posing because I mostly use already dead insects/spiders I find. This will definitely help me make better looking art.
I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to let bugs dry before mounting! Thanks for this, my collection may yet be mounted.
Using some dehydrated bees from a bee farm for my Candyman costume this year and this is super helpful. Thank u!
That sounds cool asf,did you post it anywhere?id love to see it😭
Anyone else think he was saying to relax while pinning insects.
ha ha you get used to insects especially dead ones which are cinch compared to live ones that can sting. That is the time I tell myself to relax.
No
@@InsectHunter haha
Thank you, I lost the daddy moth of my hornworm colony this morning and couldn't find him until tonite, no surprise because he'd eclosed 13 days ago but it was sad as he'd already hardened up in a badly contorted position. I'll be able to give him a proper memorial now.
You are so sweet bug mama!
😂😂😂
Had no idea where to begin with preserving all of the insects I’ve found. Also glad to know I’m not the only one with a random box of bugs somewhere haha
I will definitely be using this method for my specimens. However, I’d like to frame a few of mine. I’m worried they’ll get crushed between the glass once they dry up again. Any suggestions would be amazingly helpful. Thanks for the video!
get yourself a shadowbox or a deep picture frame, that should allow for enough space so it doesn't get crushed
Thank you for this!! I found a dead stag beetle that's so brittle...but I have no idea you have to relax them first!
I am glad to see this video! With child care and household responsibilities, and the fact that I'm the only one in the household who will work with the collected insects/spiders, there are times the specimens dry out. Now I can do something about it. Being new to this interest, I very much appreciate your teachings. Thank you!
You are welcome! I am glad you found it helpful.
Hot water works really well for the humidity from my experience
Taylor Ford thanks for sharing!
i our two wasps in a little plastic bag and closed a plastic container with the sealed end of the bag hanging out
Super new to the art of pinning insects. Thank you for the tips!
As usual I bought a pinning kit before I did any research and this is more than I expected. Let’s get started.
found a beautiful giant leopard moth and forgot about it, this saved it thanks!
Awesome! Glad I could help you out!
So it works with butterfly’s and moths?? Thanks
"it's beautiful let me kill it" ?!!!! Jesus....
@@britbombb I found it dead on the side of the road on a rainy day, I don't kill any insect for the sake of display. Have a nice day though.
@@britbombb said who in the comments? You can thank the kinds of people who do this kind of stuff for the advance in medicine and medical technology.
I've had a few beetles in a jar awaiting pinning for a few weeks now and it feels great to see it's not too late
Thanks Jason for great video on relax & pin dehydrated insects with very useful tips.
This worked so well! Thank you for making this it helped alot
My kids and i went to a bug museum here in colorado springs. So many bugs some preserved and pinned as early as the 20s!
I was definitely wondering how its done. So fascinating!
Thanks for the video! It’s just what I was looking for to help me with some resin projects. 👍👍
Same
This is awesome thaaanks
Cool video. New to dissection so great for my education at 77
I found a beautiful large dead bee and knew I had to bring him home. How long do I need to keep him pinned before I can make him a display? Do I need to do anything special to keep him from deteriorating?
Nothing special really. You just need to pin and spread him although it is most likely a female. This video you may find helpful. ua-cam.com/video/BC-H8wTQjwE/v-deo.html
Thank You! I found it very helpful for someone who knows nothing about painting and framing insects and I'm just starting to get into it I found your video very helpful thank you again
* pinning
You're very welcome!
This is so nice
Great video! With the impending Brood X Cicada event, I want to preserve some wings for art projects, like fairy wings, jewelry etc. do you have any suggestions for success with spreading the wings to dry? I’ll be collecting the dead insects, so will use the rehydrating process you’ve outlined in this video. Also, suggestions for rendering the wings less fragile would be super helpful. Any day now, can’t wait to experience this event!
Thank you!!
Awesome. Subscribed! I will try this.
Yes it is a bit of work but worth it if you have the patience.
Wow.. your hands are so pretty almost thought I was looking at a hand model! XD
Gracias por compartir, te dejo mi like 19... feliz domingo!!!
Todos los "likes" son importantes!
This'll be very useful for a lot of people for sure. Mail already sent, greetings
thanks
Thanks! Watching for a years long passed Cobalt Blue Tarantula. I really wanted to show her nicely but not damage her at all.
Thank you i found a very large dragon fly on the side of the road while traveling i want to fram it for my mum and had to put it in a cup it dried in a horrible position and i need to fix it! Thank you!
I like storing my beetles in a 70% solution of isopropyle alcohol. Will this have an effect on ther colors?
Amazing video!! What do you usually do in insect preservation if specimens are dusty or “contaminated” when found? I have two wonderful bumblebees currently in a clean milk bottle cap, but recently found they are covered in some still live bee mites- not sure what the professionals do here!!
Thank you for the video! I just now found some old beetle specimens at home that I made back in high school. They were made poorly and I want to re-adjust their posture. Do you suggest I do the re-adjustment with your method or just don't re-adjust it? I think they remained in that posture for around 8 years...
They will do just fine rehydrating them
I have a few beautiful examples of Compton Tortoiseshell butterflies, but they have died with their wings folded together in the "up" position. Any suggestions as how I can relax those wings (without breaking or smearing them) into an open position so I can photograph the beautiful colors that are currently hidden? Thank you.
So, I'm a taxidermist and I've been wondering before I get into bug pinning, do they just dry out with no need for preservation after they're pinned? They won't mold or anything???? (If they're enclosed in a jar or something
You’ve helped me pin my beloved mantis and one I found outside! I had to make bigger chambers but I’m excited to look for bugs that unfortunately passed in my daughters sandbox!
Can i relax insects if im going to be preserving them in hand sanitizer? I found a dead mole cricket, its not super brittle, but its very sriff. The legs are stuck in a very awkward and ugly position, and i want know if its okay to relax it, or if it'll get ruined if I relax it and put it in hand sanitizer.
Hi! How long can you leave dried insects before the relaxing jar does not work. I've got some dried insects from about 6 years ago and was wondering if relaxing them will still work. Thanks.
Are they hard or soft bodied ?
I’ve just started preserving bugs, I’ve preserved 3 so far and I just preserve them in hand sanitiser :)
That can work temporarily, but I would suggest ethanol or acetone for even better long term storage plus less air bubbles so you can see the specimens better, but it may depend on the sanitizes you are using and the chemical composition.
Okay, so, just to clarify, I don't actually try to put the needle trough the Insects legs, but i place the legs on top off the pin?
Yep
Great video, thanks for share this!
But, I need your help, I have several cuchoo wasp samples for study and I don't know how to relax and mount them without to break their body, I don't know if you have a video about mounting small insects (less than a cm of lenght), or do you know a video or book where I can learn about that.
Oh neat!!! I can actually pin my collection now :]
I have a really nice cicada I found . It was freshly dead and in immaculate shape. Now it's been sitting for a few days and I now need to learn how to relax it for my specimen box.
Yeah I think the information in this video will definitely help you! Please let me know if have any further questions.
Insect Hunter do you have any info sources on how to pin a cicada specifically?
Look at this diagram to find the point where the pin is to enter the insect www.biologyjunction.com/images/6892f031.gif. See the dot that is where you insert the pin. After that just spread out the legs and use pins to hold the legs in a position that looks natural. Don't do anything with the wings and just leave them tented up if possible.
Insect Hunter thanks. Ya don't think I'll mess with the wings. I don't want to ruin them. They are in perfect shape.
Ok sounds good!
What is the longest amount of time I can relax a beetle? Other than mold, will anything happen?
Okay, after the pinning process, how do you display them? I don’t think they’re displayed with all the pins right? I’m trying to pin some Painted Ladies that I found already dead during the migration that went on a few days prior
Once they are pinned you can put them on a nice piece of styrofoam or a display case preferably.
i found a dead spider and wanted to pin it, but i had to wait for a week until i got home. Thanks!
Hey do you have any tips for pinning tiny newly dead moths? I have one that is going to emyrge soon then die in about a week, i would love some tips :>
Hello, I am currently freezing a spider. I'm waiting for a glass display to arrive at my house, so in the meantime, the spider is in the freezer for a few days. I have a feeling I can't just start immediately because the spider will still have the bodily fluids. When I start, what are the proper steps to unfreeze and dry the spider?
How long would one relax a bumblebee? Would it be the same, or less time? Different youtubers have appeared to have different opinions, but I trust your channel, so I'd like to hear what you have to say about it.
I stumbled across your channels after seeing some beautiful spiders cast into resin earrings on Etsy and started looking up how I can do that myself (I work with resin but never had a chance to preserve insects). Then I remembered my mother brought me a Rhinoceros Beetle from work about 15 years a go and I still have it in the jar today.
Is it too late to relax it in order to preserve it in resin? I don't want to ruin her, she's still a very vibrant shade of black despite being so old for a specimen; but I'd much rather give her a better display than a dusty old baby food jar.
Thanks in advance!
Thank you
I have an earwig farm and I wanna Preserve some of them, but they are quite small and I don’t have any pinning experience,
So should I just try to pin the earwigs or should I start with something bigger?
I found a beautiful cicada a few months ago, in perfect condition. I’m trying to pin him to a frame that I have so I can hang him up on my wall. I’m going to try this, and hopefully it works out! I’ll update this comment a few days afterwards. Thanks!🖤🕸
EDIT: 5 months went by already? Geez! I need to get on top of these yt comments lmao. Anyways, I ended up keeping him in the jar for a few days, and he was flexible enough to be taken out. I pinned him with his wings open, kept him there for a month or two, and he looks great! He’s stayed in the position since while I’m attempting to find a nice frame to put him in. Any cheap suggestions on where I could buy one online would be awesome. Best of luck to everyone who also decides to try this technique out! ;)
And they never returned...
@@pastelrainbow2458 Whoops! My bad lol. I ended up pinning him, and he looks great! I’m currently looking for a frame that’s small enough.
Did you pin him with wings spread?
@@mcgregorbears8941 Yup!
@@sweetestcyanide I just found the coolest bright green cicada as well doing this !!! Did you find a frame ??? I went to Michaels they're 30 bucks so yea no lol
How long does a bumblebee need to decay after pinning it?
I always loosened up my cicadas by putting them directly in alcohol since they're so hardy, but I'll make sure to go with this instead
For those who are wondering what temp should the water be at* Not the exact #temp Its just warm or cold. It i warm.*
I have a question about relaxing insects. I have tried the relaxing chamber method with moths that have been kept in a dry environment for over a year, and after being 3 days in the relaxing chamber, they simply were not relaxed, stiff as before. So I used a few drops of Barber's fluid which helped. But then I needed to relax some beetles and I submerged them in Barber's fluid for some days, and it worked great. The problem is they do not get stiff again, they have been drying pinned with legs in the right positions for several days, and still relaxed so I cannot move them to the specimens display box yet. Will they ever get rigid again?
I am not sure what Barber's fluid is or how it affects the exoskeleton. I usually let my insects dry for longer rather than just a few days. I usually leave them 2 weeks and have never had an issue.
@@InsectHunter Barber's fluid is a mixture of chemical compounds used to relax insects. Developed at the United States National Museum by Herbert S.Barber and others, and recomended by J.M. Valentine in 1934 in his paper about preparation of coleoptera.
Composition is:
+95 % ethanol (1000 ml)
distilled water (1000 ml)
ethyl acetate (375 ml)
benzene (125 ml)
Thank you so much for your reply. I did as you say and they are now perfect to be pinned in my display box. Love your videos, thank you very much for your awesome work.
@@pcm2012 Interesting! I was not aware. Always learning something new. Cool!
I found a pook warm ..what will I do
Where do i place the first needle on wasp
Hey Jason! My cat killed a massive and gorgeous dragonfly who had the misfortune of flying into my apartment yesterday. I decided that I shouldn't waste the beauty of this guy - he's nearly the size of my hand and has extraordinary markings. I've just put it on a paper towel and a plate while I research what the heck to do with it. I think I would like to pour him into resin to protect him and make him a sturdy displayable piece. Do you recommend freezing this guy in a plastic bag until I acquire the proper supplies? Would appreciate any advice! I want to be sure I respect his body and take proper care of him. 😅
Great video, really helpful! :) I have some beetles that I want to relax, but the problem is that they stink really bad. I've had them for some months and the smell is just... Do you know how I can make the smell go away? They're in small containers so maybe I should leave them open? Thanks
I am not sure. Insects that are preserved really do stink a lot. Keeping them in a sealed container keeps the smell in and away from your nose. It also keeps insects that feed on exoskeletons out. That would be my recommendation.
@@InsectHunter Thank you!
How to handle dried dragonflies? I want to relax it for pinning
Would you consider making a video with your pinned insect that you have collected?
Yes I did a live one once, but the quality wasn't as good as I wanted.
How would you relax a large insect like a moth?
My father in law gave us a gorgeous Luna moth specimen and I would love to display it.
Relaxing is the easy part, but pinning and spreading will be the challenging part. Look up spreading board and you can buy them for relatively cheap. They are an essential tool in my oppinion.
@@InsectHunter thanks so much!
Would this work on an old dried up spider? Trying to do something about it’s curled up legs
Yes I believe it would. If it works send me an email so I can see how it turns out after it dries 2-3 weeks later.
i found a huge dragonfly of about 8cm in length and 12cm wing length but i have no idea of how to preserve such a huge insect
Use a bigger jar
I found a really cool bluet damselfly. Do I need to do the rehydration even though I just found it?
No you shouldn't if it is fresh although this reply is quite late haha. Sorry just barely getting through my backlog of comments.
Is there anything else that i can use except for alcohol?
Is it ok to varnish they after you have pinned it , like beetles and June bugs . So it’s shiny forever and easier to clean when it gets dusty?
I have never tried doing that. What are you thinking? Like Modge podge? If that works out for you please let me know I will be interested to hear back.
Insect Hunter it was a gloss varnish I had put on to a beetle and some of a cicada in hopes of saving it from being eaten by mites . It didn’t save the inside from the mites but the outside was really nice still at least 😅
I got a beetle from ebay, so I almost definitely need to do this before pinning, yeah?
If it is not in the position you want then you can try this to make it better.
well i will keep dose insect
Any advice on how to do this with frog beatles? I'm having a really hard time with the legs, I can't straighten them. It's been almost 20 hours and still the legs won't straighten at all. Any advice you can give regarding the Frog beetle is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Yeah not 100% sure on that one. I havent worked with them much. The best case is to have multiple specimens and try to put more pressure on some of them. If they dont move they need to be relaxed longer. hope that helps.
Would this work for a large bodied insect like a mantis?
sure.
Can you preserve katydids in a jar with rubbing alcohol?
I have a katydid and it's pinned on a styrofoam.
I'm scared that it will break like what happened to my moth
yea you can put them in a jar of alcohol
What size are those pins?
Dos wiski work I don't think I have pure alchole
I’m gonna capture all the mayflies that get in my house and make a collection
Is there a way to remove mold or nice it forms? My daughter tried to mount a cicada and the wings got moldy.
I have never had that happen to me. Maybe the insect was not clean when you tried to pin it. Mold will commonly grow on waste like fecal material(poop) or other organic materials. You could try cleaning it off with a soft tipped painting brush.
Insect Hunter I found it hanging on a spider web. I then put it in a box and in the freezer. I’m wondering if the mold formed from the condensation when thawing out.
Hi! I tried to use a relaxing chamber to soften up an oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis), but its abdomen really darkened. Is there a way to relax a wasp while preserving its color? Thanks!
Of that I am not sure. Anyone out there have any ideas? It could be that when it re-hardens the color will change, but I don't have experience with that.
Insect Hunter ahah this is the downside of collecting wasps: not many people have experience with them :)
Arturo Femia ha ha that could be said of a lot of insect groups.
Hi,would like to seek some advice. I have a rhino beetle which has been sitting in a jar of alcohol for many years. Is it still possible to take it out, dry it and mount it as display?
I am not sure. I have never tried that before. My guess is that it is too late at this point but I could be wrong. I would think that the chemical composition of the exoskeleton has changed over the years soaking in alcohol. It may be best to just leave it. If you decide to try it let me know if it works please. I have never heard of someone doing that.
@@InsectHunter i see... Thanks
I’ve had a large, beautiful dragonfly in my freezer for unfortunately 4 months. Does this still apply?
Should be similar in terms of work.
In my entomology subject we need to collect insects and pin it. What other method I need to do except putting it in freezer before pinning.
I used mothball to kill the insect, is it useful?
Mothballs are not the best as they don't kill insects according to my understanding, but are actually a type of repellant. Watch this video for more info: ua-cam.com/video/BC-H8wTQjwE/v-deo.html
Hi, I am trying to buy dehydrated beetles and butterfly's for macro photography, any tips?
Hm... of that I don’t have much experience. I would learn to pin them myself and then you can make the exact poses you want yourself. You could theoretically rehydrate a number of times and change poses over time with some work. Sorry if I wasn’t much help.
I do macro photography as well and have a few insects I need to relax too :)
Can you preserve caterpillars???
Yes, but needs to be done in alcohol. There is no great way to preserve caterpillars other than this. The issue with alcohol is that they loose color over time and become clear or white despite their beautiful colors. The only way I can think of that may preserve them better is resin, but I have never seen a caterpillar in resin either...
I read on some website that you should place the bugs directly onto damp paper towels and love them for a couple days. Obviously now I know that was not good advice because all my insects are moldy :( I’m does anyone know if they are still salvageable?
Possibly it depends on how far the mold has spread and how much it has gotten into the internal parts of the bugs... Probably not salvageable, but worth a try if you dont want to lose them. They might have a few holes in them.
How long it takes before pinning the insect into the spreading board? Or is it okay to preserve the insect/put it in killing jar before pinning it. I have my collection of insects like praying mantis, bees, beetle, grasshoppers, and others.. what will I do in order to preserve them except on putting it in the freezer... I used mothball to kill them, is there any possible that they will be decayed.
Thank you for response.
#entomologysubject
Hopefully this video helps: ua-cam.com/video/BC-H8wTQjwE/v-deo.html
That beetle looks very familiar...
Brian Rich hm.... interesting....
Yeah, also I never use a cup. I just soak a paper towel with water (DI, if I have it available) and add a little 80% alcohol. Might take a day or two for big stuff, but they get nice and pliable.
Yeah it doesn't have to be as complicated as the way I did it! Thanks Brian!
What exactly is the slack channel ?
Great question! Slack is a basically like a private chatroom that only members that are invited can join. It would be a place for us to be able to talk about insects, share pictures and give updates about when I am posting videos and such too. Just a place where fellow insect hunters can chat together. It is not a UA-cam channel or associated with videos in general. Just a social media type option for us to chat together.
So this is how you relax them if you found them dried up right? well what if you found them drowned?
Try spreading them if they are moist enough and not growing a bunch of mold or rotting.
@@InsectHunter how long would it take to fully dry
I have two grasshoppers that have been in the freezer for a few days, I still don’t have all the needed supplies to pin, so for now I am waiting. They have a thin icy layer on their back. But my question is, do I have to relax them after taking them out? They seem rather stiff.
They may be stiff because they are frozen, but if you leave them out of the freezer for a 20 minutes or so then they should soften up. I don't think they will need to be rehydrated just need thawing. Thanks for watching Cyndy!
Insect Hunter Thank you! Is it ok to leave them in the freezer for as long as needed?
Cynthia It’s ok to leave them there for about a month or so, but i would do it within a couple weeks personally because frozen specimens can build up fast on you!
Insect Hunter thank you! I recently pinned a black grasshopper, and i noticed that as it’s drying the orange/yellow markings dulled a lot, it also looks a bit smaller. Is that normal? I haven’t noticed that with any other insects I’ve pinned so far
I know my answer won't be all that exciting, but it depends. I have not experienced this a lot, but with dragonflies it seems like the colors do dull quite a bit. It just depends on the pigments and physical structure of the exoskeleton if I understand correctly. Shrinkage will occur a little bit depending on how rigid the exoskeleton is which varies between each insect.
Can someone list everything needed and the process step by step for me? Much easier to read it than to keep pausing and rewinding.
This is not exactly what I did, but it could work. www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/ythfacts/4h/unit2/hotm&urj.htm
My boss went to A&M for entimology.
dont u kill the insect before pinning? im a amatuer. u said that u pin right away but dont u first freeze them?
Yes you would freeze them to kill them and then leave them out to thaw for a bit.
Is the slack channel still open?
No, but I created a discord channel. Email me at t-h-e-i-n-s-e-c-t-h-u-n-t-er-(At)gmail.com and I will send you an invite. Sorry for the complex way of putting in the email just reduces bots skimming for emails and adding to mailing lists.
Is this also applicable after i took the insect out of the freezer?
It depends on how long it was frozen. Usually in the freezer you just leave it out for about 1 hour and it has thawed and still flexible. If it has been frozen for longer than 4-5 months then I would definitely try relaxing just in case.
@@InsectHunter Thanks!
Yeah I thought he was killing it 🤣 loo