You inspired me to start an educational collection for my kids to look at. We went out tonight, and even though it was not a warm night, we caught a sphynx moth and I already pinned it. I have watched all your pinning videos and so I don't think I messed my first one up to badly at all. I'm very pleased with how it went so far. Thank you for being a good teacher! 😊
I'm glad you found the videos useful. If you're serious about making a study collection I recommend getting a museum drawer to store them properly. It's important to protect the specimens from insect pests that could damage them. I use a piece of Vapona strip in the corner of the box. You can get these supplies from BipQuip Products located in California. bioquipinc.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwmrn5BRB2EiwAZgL9osTDs9Z-GI6QHGfaySXDQXB2tSO9uXfQ3oxKMzBHRrB5Zniq1Gk7aRoCTA4QAvD_BwE
insectsafari I pinned my first three last week and I think they turned out fairly well! I did tear the edge of a forewing on my twin spotted Sphinx moth specimen but otherwise I think it went well. I can’t wait to unpin them and get them properly mounted!
I've watched a lot of your bug pinning videos. Sometimes I entertain the idea of doing this as a hobby, but it seems too hard to get into. Super interesting stuff though.
The Moon Man. Not hard at all actually! I started a year ago... it's become a small obsession lol.. it's very tedious and sometimes frustratingly fragile work, but oh so rewarding. I highly recommend you do!
Sailor I'm noticing that I can just purchase deceased insects on ebay and have them shipped, but where can I purchase the equipment required? What's the best way to start in your opinion?
Quite honestly I diy-ed most of mine! I use styrofoam and made a "trench" for the thorax and abdomen to go into and cover sides where the wings will glassine paper (or parchment paper has worked for me although it's def not the correct way) then just possession and pin away and I usually adjust with pins! I usually use the pin to "grab" a wing and pull it where I'd like (: Wait a good few days though to unpin so they "set" really well... I'm in NO way any kind of expert (: I just really enjoy doing this haha Let me know if you have any more questions, I may be able to help out with what little knowledge I do have (:
I'm sure if you did a bit of research though you could find all these supplies online somewhere or another! OH also look into entomology pins! They come in different sizes so do your research, I bought some on amazon last year and still have yet to use all of them (:
I get all my pinning and storage supplies from BioQuip in California. They have good quality stuff and reasonable prices. www.bioquip.com/html/catalog.htm
hey! do you think you could do a video on pinning spiders? i'm having a hard time finding any videos that do this that aren't like massive tarantulas. i dont know if you collect them as well but it would be really cool to see! also thank you so much for the videos, i hand raised some Calleta Silkmoths from caterpillars and have kept several specimens and been releasing some as well, and now have completed my first pinning of them with your help! so thanks so much - they probably aren't great but ah well i am guessing it takes a while to get good at it
Spiders are a challenge to preserve because their exoskeleton is quite thin and they tend to shrivel up when they die. I've had some success using acetone to stiffen the exoskeleton. I will make a video about this sometime. I pin a fresh spider on a flat piece of cork and float it upside-down in a jar of acetone. It may take a few weeks for the abdomen to firm up. When it dries there is usually some wrinkling and it tends to bleach out the color. Someone probably has a perfect technique for it. If you see something please let me know.
Holy crap the moment u opened its wings it hit me that ive seen that moth before. 6 years ago while i was walking home from school i saw one that looked like that on the side of the road. It looked like it was having trouble flying so i took it home and kept it for a while. I think i released it afterwards. At that time i wasnt nearly as interested in bugs as i am now. I didnt know i had a moth in the saturniidae family. Havent run into one of those since.
Great video! I love the giant silk moths. For Diptera and Hymenoptera species I find myself unsure if I should spread the wings or not. Any little guidelines or rules for wether or not to spread?
I decide how to treat the wings on flies and bees with each individual specimen. Some species wings will cover the body and I may want to have it visible. Sometimes the wings are stiff and asymmetrical in death so I use pins to push them into position. I have a video of pinning a bumblebee that might help. In hymenoptera there is usually a feature that will connect the back of the forewings to the front of the hindwings. If you drag the forewing across the hindwing it will catch the edge and pull the hindwing forward with it. You can place a pin in the space at the base of the forewing near the body to hold the wing in place without putting a pin through the wing.
Beautiful moths! Is it possible to restore colours on these after they have faded? Specifically I’m dealing with an attacus atlas that has faded into a very dull light brown Color which is not nearly as attractive as when it has the striking oranges and reds all over its body.
Moths are especially prone to fading when exposed to light. Keep them stored in darkness or use UV filter glass to reduce fading. Nothing you can do once the colors are gone.
I tried using styrofoam to place my moth onto, but the fibers on the wings started coming off when placed on it. Maybe it wasn’t the right styrofoam, I’m not sure… I’m using a bent line dart and it’s very small so that could be it too
I've tried this with large moths and it hasn't worked very well. I know it's possible because I've seen such specimens but I find the abdomens get the hairs messed up . If the abdomen gets greasy see my video about de-greasing moth abdomens.
Museum drawers are available from several sources. There are a couple of slightly different standard sizes. I use Cornell University drawers from BioQuip because they are a little taller than the California Academy drawers. There are different types of wood and pinning surfaces available for both of these types of drawers that can affect the price. They are also expensive to ship. You might spend $90 or more for one drawer. I buy kits of six drawers that I assemble myself which makes them much cheaper, more like $50 a piece. They all have tight-fitting lids with glass tops. I keep a small piece of fumigant in each box to keep out pests that could eat the specimens.
These are lovely! I love your videos, they're one of the reasons I got back into collecting.
You inspired me to start an educational collection for my kids to look at. We went out tonight, and even though it was not a warm night, we caught a sphynx moth and I already pinned it. I have watched all your pinning videos and so I don't think I messed my first one up to badly at all. I'm very pleased with how it went so far.
Thank you for being a good teacher! 😊
I'm glad you found the videos useful. If you're serious about making a study collection I recommend getting a museum drawer to store them properly. It's important to protect the specimens from insect pests that could damage them. I use a piece of Vapona strip in the corner of the box. You can get these supplies from BipQuip Products located in California. bioquipinc.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwmrn5BRB2EiwAZgL9osTDs9Z-GI6QHGfaySXDQXB2tSO9uXfQ3oxKMzBHRrB5Zniq1Gk7aRoCTA4QAvD_BwE
Thank you for sharing that. I don't do this and I don't plan too, but it was very cool to hear you talk about the species and to see how it's done ^_^
I’ve been wanting to start my own moth collection for many years now but had no idea how to start. This was exactly what I needed!
I'm happy that you found it inspiring. It will take some practice so don't be discouraged.
insectsafari I pinned my first three last week and I think they turned out fairly well! I did tear the edge of a forewing on my twin spotted Sphinx moth specimen but otherwise I think it went well. I can’t wait to unpin them and get them properly mounted!
I've watched a lot of your bug pinning videos. Sometimes I entertain the idea of doing this as a hobby, but it seems too hard to get into. Super interesting stuff though.
The Moon Man. Not hard at all actually! I started a year ago... it's become a small obsession lol.. it's very tedious and sometimes frustratingly fragile work, but oh so rewarding. I highly recommend you do!
Sailor I'm noticing that I can just purchase deceased insects on ebay and have them shipped, but where can I purchase the equipment required? What's the best way to start in your opinion?
Quite honestly I diy-ed most of mine! I use styrofoam and made a "trench" for the thorax and abdomen to go into and cover sides where the wings will glassine paper (or parchment paper has worked for me although it's def not the correct way) then just possession and pin away and I usually adjust with pins! I usually use the pin to "grab" a wing and pull it where I'd like (: Wait a good few days though to unpin so they "set" really well... I'm in NO way any kind of expert (: I just really enjoy doing this haha
Let me know if you have any more questions, I may be able to help out with what little knowledge I do have (:
I'm sure if you did a bit of research though you could find all these supplies online somewhere or another! OH also look into entomology pins! They come in different sizes so do your research, I bought some on amazon last year and still have yet to use all of them (:
I get all my pinning and storage supplies from BioQuip in California. They have good quality stuff and reasonable prices. www.bioquip.com/html/catalog.htm
hey! do you think you could do a video on pinning spiders? i'm having a hard time finding any videos that do this that aren't like massive tarantulas. i dont know if you collect them as well but it would be really cool to see! also thank you so much for the videos, i hand raised some Calleta Silkmoths from caterpillars and have kept several specimens and been releasing some as well, and now have completed my first pinning of them with your help! so thanks so much - they probably aren't great but ah well i am guessing it takes a while to get good at it
Spiders are a challenge to preserve because their exoskeleton is quite thin and they tend to shrivel up when they die. I've had some success using acetone to stiffen the exoskeleton. I will make a video about this sometime. I pin a fresh spider on a flat piece of cork and float it upside-down in a jar of acetone. It may take a few weeks for the abdomen to firm up. When it dries there is usually some wrinkling and it tends to bleach out the color. Someone probably has a perfect technique for it. If you see something please let me know.
Holy crap the moment u opened its wings it hit me that ive seen that moth before. 6 years ago while i was walking home from school i saw one that looked like that on the side of the road. It looked like it was having trouble flying so i took it home and kept it for a while. I think i released it afterwards. At that time i wasnt nearly as interested in bugs as i am now. I didnt know i had a moth in the saturniidae family. Havent run into one of those since.
Thanks for the story. Part of the fun of studying them is making discoveries like that.
Love your videos man, keep doing what you're doing. :)
Great video! I love the giant silk moths. For Diptera and Hymenoptera species I find myself unsure if I should spread the wings or not. Any little guidelines or rules for wether or not to spread?
I decide how to treat the wings on flies and bees with each individual specimen. Some species wings will cover the body and I may want to have it visible. Sometimes the wings are stiff and asymmetrical in death so I use pins to push them into position. I have a video of pinning a bumblebee that might help. In hymenoptera there is usually a feature that will connect the back of the forewings to the front of the hindwings. If you drag the forewing across the hindwing it will catch the edge and pull the hindwing forward with it. You can place a pin in the space at the base of the forewing near the body to hold the wing in place without putting a pin through the wing.
Beautiful moths! Is it possible to restore colours on these after they have faded? Specifically I’m dealing with an attacus atlas that has faded into a very dull light brown Color which is not nearly as attractive as when it has the striking oranges and reds all over its body.
Moths are especially prone to fading when exposed to light. Keep them stored in darkness or use UV filter glass to reduce fading. Nothing you can do once the colors are gone.
This was so helpful, just wondering where you got your display case you showed towards the end?
I get Cornell drawers from BioQuip in California. I build them from kits, six at a time. You can also buy them assembled individually.
I tried using styrofoam to place my moth onto, but the fibers on the wings started coming off when placed on it. Maybe it wasn’t the right styrofoam, I’m not sure… I’m using a bent line dart and it’s very small so that could be it too
Love the videos! What kind of mounting board do you use/recommend? Flat or V-shaped?
I have both and don't have a preference really. The better quality one is slanted so I often use it first.
I have a really thick giant silk moth, I've seen some people online actually gut and stuff thicker bugs like beetles but is that necessary?
I've tried this with large moths and it hasn't worked very well. I know it's possible because I've seen such specimens but I find the abdomens get the hairs messed up . If the abdomen gets greasy see my video about de-greasing moth abdomens.
Where did you buy your display boards? How do you keep them? Do they have a glass cover?
Museum drawers are available from several sources. There are a couple of slightly different standard sizes. I use Cornell University drawers from BioQuip because they are a little taller than the California Academy drawers. There are different types of wood and pinning surfaces available for both of these types of drawers that can affect the price. They are also expensive to ship. You might spend $90 or more for one drawer. I buy kits of six drawers that I assemble myself which makes them much cheaper, more like $50 a piece. They all have tight-fitting lids with glass tops. I keep a small piece of fumigant in each box to keep out pests that could eat the specimens.
Hello. Just a quick question, where do you get the sheets for pinning the wings
Glassine sheets are available from BioQuip Products in California. I get all my supplies from them.
I think you like butterfly
COOL
The Male promethea moth mimics battus philenor
I was not aware of this before but it does make sense.
I do like purple luna moth they or my favorate