# preserving soft-bodied insects?



## Ganoderma (May 24, 2006)

I have read a couple techniques on how to do it but failed miserably.  one was injecting preservatives (this can't be right....can it?).  Anyway is there a way of preserving insect/bugs out of a solution to show its full body form?  i thought about stuffing, but that could get hard with these ltitle creatures.  up until now i hav ebeen using jars and liquid...but i don't like that.

in a museum in BC (Royal BC Museum, Victoria BC Canada, if anyone wants to check it out) and they used something to preserve plants for exhibits.  they said it is very toxic to the touch and will basically to to you what it does to their exhibits.  as far as i know they just soaked it in this forumla and it stayed as bright and vibrant as if it were alive....anyone know what this stuff is??

any ideas?  or links?


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## Gigas (May 24, 2006)

they now use 99% pure alcohol to preserve which is toxic and bleaches, i cant remeber but they used to use something that preserved well but was a horrific carcenogen. although eventually colours fade out of almost any creature 
and thigs that work with plant wont work with animals


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## Ganoderma (May 24, 2006)

yes they also use fermeldahyde (sp?) which is what i use, and it is definatly horrible crap!  i tried alcohol when i was growing mushrooms but i didn't like it as much, not sure why....  but it is definatly a lot nicer than the otehr stuff.

I am wanting to preserve plants as well, but thats a little easier (although they always leach or fade on me...?).  Shultz used a fermeldahyde mix for plant leaves and such and they have lasted a few decades.  But i am really having a hard time figuring out the soft bodied thing without a liquid solution...like one would pin or frame a bug with a decently rigid exoskeleton.


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## lucanidae (May 24, 2006)

First you should boil any softbodied insect for a few seconds.  Do this by dropping them in already boiling water, preferebly alive.  Then use 80% Ethyl alc in a vial topped with rubber.  This will preserve really nicely and not so dangerously.  Holds color on all larvae except Leps.


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## Ganoderma (May 25, 2006)

interesting.  why boil them?  and is there a reason to do so live?  if i ever kill bugs its done through freezing, moreso for moral reasons.  is there a great benefit from boiling?

thanks!


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## Mat (May 25, 2006)

Depends what you intend to do with them, but for general presevation of soft bodies samples / specimens - 70% alcohol is fine and they will keep for years

Matt


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## lucanidae (May 25, 2006)

Boiling, especially when done immediatly after death, fixes the coloration proteins that will eventually break down.  It also slighlty blows up the larvae like a balloon.  This way you retain color and prevent the thing from squishing into a little wrinkled mess.  Freezing, is definetly not a good way to kill/preserve softbodies.


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## Ganoderma (May 26, 2006)

sh*t...       :wall:


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## Ganoderma (Jul 10, 2006)

found some more info.

so from what i have read 99% alcohol is actually bad for preserving things, mainly soft bodies, because it can burn and shrivel them. 70% is far more ideal apperantly.  

also formeldahyde (sp?) isnt even used for preservation it is mixed with water to make a fixative which is later washed and replaced with alcohol.....oops.  

from the link: "formaldehyde solution", this is a 37%-40% aqueous solution of the gas formaldehyde.

its 40% and we want to have about 10%.  so adding 9 parts to 1 part "formaldehyde solution" will get you th eproper fixing solution.  after a day or two switch to alcohol.  this makes me wonder how my spiders and otehr misc inverts liek centipedes and scorpions are doing sitting in "formaldehyde solution" for a good 6 years.  may jsut be a ajr of soup by the time i go back to canada....

the other thing i have read a lot (kind of common sense i guess) is preservation can be specie specific.  so does anyone know of any good sites for specific invert preservation?  namely snails, spiders and wasps.

http://clade.acnatsci.org/rosenberg/archiving/method/fixation_preservation.html


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## Gigas (Jul 10, 2006)

nearly impossible to preserve snails well


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## Ganoderma (Jul 10, 2006)

so it seems.....i have foudn some good info on preserving maring gastropods but those methods they say will deteriorate the shells.  so far i am opting jus tto keep pictures and shells for them...


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## Ganoderma (Jul 12, 2006)

found an interesting study done in california if anyoen is interested.  experimenting with preserving arachnids for dna study.  gives a good idea of how important it is.

http://www.bio.sdsu.edu/pub/spiders/...nketal2005.pdf


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