COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION OF INSECTS 



By P. W. Oman, senior entomologist, and Arthur D. Cushman, chief scientific 

 illustrator, Division of Insect Identification, Bureau of Entomology and riant 

 Quarantine, Agricultural Research Administration 



Contents 



Page 



What to collect 2 



Equipment and collecting methods 



N e t.s _ ^ 



Killing bottles 5 



Aspirator, or suction bottle 7 



Beating cloth, or umbrella 8 



Sifters 9 



Separators 9 



Collecting at lights 9 



Baits and bait traps 10 



Tweezers, forceps, and brushes 10 



Rearing H 



How to kill and preserve specimens 12 

 Care and handling of unmounted 



specimens 14 



How to mount insects 14 



Direct pinning 15 



Double mounts 18 



Inflation of larvae 19 



Biker mounts 20 



Spreading boards and blocks 20 



Relaxing jars 22 



Labeling the specimens 22 



What information is essential 22 



How to make labels 23 



How labels should be pinned 24 



Care of the collection 24 



Housing 24 



Page 



Protection from pests 24 



Packing and shipping specimens 25 



Live insects 25 



Dead insects 25 



Packing for shipment 25 



Recognition of material 25 



Thysanura 28 



Collembola 28 



Orthoptera 28 



Isoptera 29 



Plecoptera 29 



Ephemeroptera 31 



Odonata 32 



Psocoptera 32 



Mallophaga 32 



Anoplura 32 



Thysanoptera 33 



Hemiptera 33 



Coleoptera 35 



Neuroptera 37 



Zoraptera 37 



Megaloptera 37 



Mecoptera 38 



Trichoptera 38 



Lepidoptera 39 



Diptera 40 



Siphonaptera 41 



Hymenoptera 42 



