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duckydoty

preserving bugs

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I caught a very nice female black widow spider last night and would like some suggestions on ways to preserve it for display on my fly tying desk. should i smash it on some paper. put it in a jar of vinager,or some other liquid? Spry it with varnish? Any suggestions?

Duckydoty

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If you do a Google search on preserving insects, or preserving spiders you will find what you are looking for. Is it still alive? You could probably keep it that way in a terrarium. A pet store should have crickets or hoppers for food.

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I use collection jars or vials (based on the required size) with a gasket and filled with denatured alcohol.

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Good Day,

 

Depends... do you want a dry mount or wet in a jar? If wet I would suggest rubbing alchohol at 91% or greater.

 

If a dry mount, then use a stainless steel pin, so it does not rust, if you wish to pin it inside a frame.

 

If still alive, I too would place it in a secure terrarium/aqaurium and feed it as previously stated.

 

FYI, I have both a 2 gallon aqaurium with water and nymphs as well as a 5 gallon aguarium/terrarium with several hundred "baby" praying mantis. Both are entertaining.

 

CJ

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i dont really know about bugs but, i did a project way back in 7th grade and all we did was put them in a jar with a cotton ball doused in rubbing alcohol. it keeps them dry, instead of drounding them in it!!!

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oh!...and then just stick a pin needle (without the bead head) through its body and then pin it to a piece of styrofoam

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I recommend preserving your spider in 70-80% EtOH. (The other 20-30% is water). This will preserve the specimen's size and proportions, the color patterns (but not necessarily colors caused by cuticle pigments and other molecules), and the vial and density of the fluid will protect against breakage that a dry specimen will undoubtedly might present, especially between the cephalathorax and abdomen. Many pharmacies and drug stores sell denatured, 70% alcohol. If possible, avoid isopropyl, as I find it tends to dehydrate specimens. From my work at UMMZ-Insect Division, their spider specimens in the collection are preserved in vials and jars with an appropriate amount of alcohol.

 

The adjunct curator for spiders at UMMZ is Don Cameron - you can contact him at [email protected].

Another great resource of spider researchers is: http://www.arachnology.be/pages/Scientists.html.

Hope this helps.

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