Entomology project- please help!

[Hayden]

Hello! I am currently a student at the University of Missouri studying entomology. I need different species of insects for my collection, and I know some of you keep some amazing species! If anyone has any animals that have died recently and are fairly well preserved, I would like to buy them from you. It would really help me out! I will definitely post pictures of my project when it is completed!

 

[Entomancer]

Kind of a crappy time of year to start an entomology project.

I have a Zopherus sp. ironclad beetle, an Eleodes sp. darkling beetle, and a couple other beetles that I haven't ID'd yet, but I'm building an insect collection as well, so I'm afraid I need to keep them.

You should go get your hands dirty and collect them yourself. I had tons of fun running around over the past 2 summers collecting the specimens I have so far; I also found some pretty cool native non-insect arthropods that I never knew lived out here, including some trapdoor spiders and scolopendromorph centipedes.

 

[Hayden]

I've collected a few hundred samples representing roughly a hundred species on my own, but you're right, it is a bad time to be looking. I was hoping people from warmer areas would have better luck, or that people who breed insects professionally would be willing to part with the carcasses for some money.
Insect collecting is a blast. I'm actually heading down to the Ozarks next weekend to look for some phasmatidae so I'm really excited. Last time I was there I found a HUGE A. cristatus, but no stick insects.
Let me know if you're looking for something and if I have spares I can send it to you! I have a TON of orthoptera and my dogs had fleas recently, so I'm flush with those.

 

[Bugs In Cyberspace]

I'd be down for trades actually. I'm starting a new site at http://deadinsects.net and looking for lots of material. Only a fraction of what we have is currently listed. (That's what winters are for! I'd never get anything done if the sun shined and bugs were out all 365 days of the year.)

 

[Hayden]

Awesome! I'll go through my collection and let you know what I have. I for sure have adult male and female Giant Cave Roaches.

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

Have you checked rotting logs, tree cavities, and under bark? You can find loads of stuff that way...or digging deep into the soil and berlese funnel it

 

[Hayden]

Yes! I actually went out today and got a ton of wasps, various orthoptera and hemiptera. I'll post a picture of some of the cooler stuff later. Thanks for the advice!

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

Also check sides of buildings that receive alot of sun...when it gets cooler, insects will rest on these walls for the warmth.

And if you have access to greenhouses...check those as well for various insects.

Don't forget the teeny tiny insects as well! You can get loads of those too using various methods.

 

[Hayden]

Yes, it's so easy to forget all the little Diptera. I have been really bad about that. The building idea is a great one. And I am doing a project in a greenhouse right now! Great idea.