10 



FARMERS BULLETIN 006. 



^gMb^ 



insects, No. 1 for small insects, and No. 3 or 4 for the large ones. 

 For use in school collections No. 2 will be the best size. 



Most insects, like butterflies, moths, bees, and flies, should be 

 pinned through the middle of the thorax (that part of the body to 

 which the wings are attached) (figs. 4 and 5), but beetles should be 

 pinned near the upper end of the right A^ng-cover (fig. 6), and true 

 bugs through the scutellum (a triangular piece between the bases of 

 the wings) (fig. 7). Grasshoppers are often pinned through the tip 

 of the prothorax, a little in front of the base of the wings (fig. 8). 

 The insect should be pushed fully two-thirds of the way up on the 

 ])in, and the collection will make a mu<di better appearance if all the 

 specimens are of an even height. Those specimens too small for a 

 pin should be mounted on mi('ro])ms (short pieces of 

 slender wire having a pointed end) or glued on the 

 cntis of slender triangidar ])ieces of cardboard called 

 points (fig. 9) . When the micropin is used, it is ])ut 

 into one end of a small oblong piece of cork and a 

 large pin put through the other end of the cork. 

 The points (about one-tliird inch long) may be cut 

 from any fairly stift" cardboard. A pin should be 

 inserted tlirough the l)road end, a little glue or 

 shellac put on the point, and the insect laid upon 

 it with the back outward, and its head away from 

 the preparator when the point is to the left of the 

 pm. Small beetles and true bugs are glued with 

 the back up rather than on the side. It is very 

 important that all specimens be correctly identified 

 before they are permanently assigned to a place in 

 the school collection. Entomologists usually have 

 little two-lined labels ])rinted in diamond type, 

 giving the locality where the specimen was captured 

 and a blank space for writing in the date of capture. 

 These labels are put well up on the pin, a little 

 l)el()w the insect, so as not to interfere with the legs. 

 For school ])urj)t)ses labels may be \vrittcn with a fine pen, care being 

 taken to write them in a small and neat hand. Insects found eating 

 plants should liavc a Httle label, giving the name of the phmt, and 

 the entomologist also usually places on a label the name of the 

 collector of the specimen. Children should l)e impressed with the 

 idea that carefulness in these little details counts in the value and 

 usefulness of a collection. Additional information and aid along 

 this line may frequently be had from the State agricultural college 

 or experiment station or from oflicials of the State department of 

 agriculture. 



Fig. 9.— Method of 

 mounting small 

 insects. 



