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Florida + Preservation?

Posted On 05/17/2010 23:08:21 by CockroachMonster

Who here is in Florida? It would be awesome to go bug-hunting with some of you and/or to know all the best hunting spots! I'm in Palm Bay, just east of Orlando. I'll be here for a little while ;)

Also, I'm curious what the best method is for preserving specimens? I'd love to be able to have a collection of insects without them breaking apart or losing their colors over time. I'd also like to use parts for art and jewelery. Specifically, I'd like to preserve moths, beetles, cockroaches and dragonflies and their wings.

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Viewing 1 - 1 out of 1 Comments

From: BoilerBug

05/18/2010 21:29:55

The best way of short term preservation that I've found is to freeze them, they stay fresh for up to a year so when you get around to mounting them they are still pliable. As far as long term, you can do one of two things: preserve them in ethyl alcohol or dry them out. With the alcohol they will eventually lose color, but aren't as prone to break.This would work with everything but the moths. With drying, they will keep there color pretty well but are prone to breaking. If you keep the dried specimens in a dark place they will also keep their color longer.

Another thing with the dried ones you might try is to put them in the over for a very short time right after you collect them. If you put them in on very low heat (150 max) for a few minutes the color kinda cooks into them. I've done this with some beetles that darken after they die and it works well.

Finally, there is no good way to successfully preserve the color in dragonflies, they eventually lose there color regardless. The best way to slow it is to use the methods I mentioned above.

Hope this helps!

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