interfere with the placing of the cover. 



Pig. 34. Cardboard display containers. 



The Riker Mount. This is a cardboard, 

 glass-topped display case containing cot- 

 ton. Specimens and labels are arranged 

 on the cotton and held in place by the 

 glass top. This type of mount has been 

 widely used for school displays of insects 

 but is not too practical because it is dif- 

 ficult to render pest-proof. Another ob- 

 jection to it is that when fumigating the 

 Riker Mount it is necessary to remove the 

 glass cover and in so doing the specimens 

 and labels invariably become disarranged. 



The Metal Display Mount. . This is a 

 mount patterned after the Riker Mount. 

 The shell is made of metal, the top is of 

 glass and the case is filled with cotton. 

 The top is set in a plastic moulding com- 

 pound such as "plastocene." As far as 

 pest-proof qualities are concerned, this 

 case is only slightly better than the Riker 

 Mount since the plastocene "seal" eventu- 

 ally dries and cracks and insect pests can 

 gain entrance readily. 



Hoiv to Mount Insect Life Histories. 

 Insect life histories are important edu- 

 cational preparations because they assist 

 in identifying serious insect pests and point 

 out methods of controlling them. In sec- 

 tions about to be invaded by the Japanese 

 Beetle, for example, as many people as 

 possible should be familiarized with the 

 various stages so that they can be recog- 

 nized, destroyed and reported to federal 

 or state agencies. Furthermore, a thor- 

 ough knowledge of the life history is im- 

 portant in controlling dangerous insects. 

 Almost every pest is vulnerable at some 

 stage in its development and it is at this 

 point that control measures must be ap- 

 plied for the greatest effectiveness. 



Collect the different stages of insect pests, 

 egg. various si/es of larvae, pupae and 

 adults of both sexes, as well as examples 

 of the damage done. Prepare the speci 

 mens according to methods already given. 

 Soft bodied insects may be placed in small 

 vials of 75% alcohol and the vials tight lv 

 corked. The cork may first be soaked in 

 hot paraffin and then inserted so that as 

 small an amount of air as possible remains 

 in the vial. (It is impossible to eliminate 

 the air bubble completely.) Now dip the 

 cork and the top of the vial in black as- 

 phalt tun or other sealer, allow it to dry 

 and dip again. Three coats are advisable 

 with each successive coat overlapping the 

 previous one slightly to insure a fast seal. 



Mounting i?t Display Cases. Pin the 

 specimens in the display case in an orderly 

 arrangement. Vials may be attached to 

 the background by cementing with Duco 

 cement. Print labels neatly and using 

 Duco cement glue them to the background 

 beneath the specimens. (See Fig. 35.) 



'•JftfPt^ 



_J 





Fig. 35. Specimens and labels should be neatly 

 arranged for dislpay. 



Mounting in Riker Mounts. Remove 

 the glass cover of the Riker Mount and 

 lay the expanded and dried specimens on 

 the cotton lightly so that they can be 

 moved when the insects are arranged in 

 an attractive way. Also, do not press the 

 cover down on the specimens firmly until 

 they are finally arranged and the mount 

 ready to close. If specimens are pressed 

 into the cotton firmly, appendages and an- 

 tennae will catch in the cotton and break 

 off when their position is changed. Satur- 

 niids and other large bodied insects may 

 require the removal of some of the cotton 

 below the body. When the specimens have 

 been adjusted, place the cover over them 



