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WITroutbum

Preserving Bugs

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So with the boys learning to tie and fly fish (FINALLY, WOOT)! They brought up the question of preserving their growing bug collection. I found this link and I must say it works really well! Just an FYI for any other budding entomoligist here! We did it with a couple stone fly nymphs and a dragon fly nympth and it works pretty awesome! Here's the link: Preserving Bugs in Hand Sanitizer:

http://thedragonflywoman.com/2011/02/21/hand-sanitizer-preservation/

 

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That's a cool idea! Sanitizer is mostly alcohol, so it makes sense to preserve bug in it. And to have them suspended in there, very neat.

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I wonder how the color will hold up over time - as in years. I think I read in the Caucci and Nastasi books that pure alcohol may affect the color of bugs over time. I realize hand sanitizer isn't pure alcohol, but if it has a bunch in it, it may affect color... maybe.

 

I sent a message to her on her site. See how she responses to that line of inquiry.

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I did get in touch with her and asked if I could quote her - she hasn't responded to that query.

 

But she did say that she has not noticed any fading to date. I think she's had a few specimens in the solution for 4 years but she noted that they were soaked in alcohol first, for a long time - then they were put in the hand sanitizer solution.

 

She suggests to have duplicate specimens and store one in alcohol and then sanitizer and one just in the sanitizer and compare over time.

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post-624-0-94685300-1442958046_thumb.jpgpost-624-0-38379800-1442958051_thumb.jpgpost-624-0-87094000-1442958055_thumb.jpgpost-624-0-24888300-1442958060_thumb.jpgpost-624-0-44439300-1442958067_thumb.jpgI stopped doing samples with the advent of digital photography. back when I did alcohol was the norm but it would yellow and wash out the insects. I went to witch hazel then it does not yellow. still would rather use pics anymore which I have thousands of.

post-624-0-91208100-1442958064_thumb.jpg

post-624-0-90172000-1442958069_thumb.jpg

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I remember in freshman biology class in high school we had to make an insect collection. They were all terrestrials so we stuck them in a glass jar with an alcohol soaked patch to "put them to sleep". Even in the 70's we had to be politically correct. We then stuck pins through them to mount. Mine was simply a cigar box with paraffin in the bottom.

 

Though they were delicate you could take them out and look at them. But this hand sanitizer method is awesome.

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A gentlemen I worked with got a call from his sons junior high principal. Seems his son and his buddies got caught drinking hand sanitizer.

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