A few of my recent insect mounts

[Curry]

Here are a few of my most recent ones. I still have hundreds that are still in paper envelopes that have to get done. Everything from morphos to birdwings.

Before you guys start calling me a bug killer what not, I buy my specimens from a dealer who only deals with butterfly farms and has the proper paperwork. Also I donate portions of what I make when i sell them to various local zoo's, museums and rain forest foundations.

One of my favorite mounts... The atlas moth!

A few paplilonidae

Various Birdwings

Large display

Even Larger- Work in progress for someone (i actually have 2 of these)

A few insects-

 

[Curry]

More!

Also experimented a little.

 

[thedude]

i see there mounted but did you catch them and mount them?? lol just bustin on ya there really pretty... hopefully soem day i can get enough money to get my self over to asia or africa or south america for some good bug collecting

 

[Curry]

I wish i caught them! I did all the mounting myself of course. lol. We should get a group trip going here im sure lots of folks on here want to go somewhere to collect that would be great.

 

[thedude]

I wish i caught them! I did all the mounting myself of course. lol. We should get a group trip going here im sure lots of folks on here want to go somewhere to collect that would be great.

dude you do some nice mounting... ive seen local kids that are in 4-h ento clubs other than my own and there collections look like shi%... the back wings are over the top ones one side mounted perfect the other all droopy i try my best to take care of my bugs when mounting them and i see you take that extra effort too... im sure when those bugs come outa the package there bone dry... what method do you use to relax them? OH and nice owlet moth

 

[Curry]

Thanks =D

The best way I found to relax them (and the quickest) Line one of those gladware or ziplock tubs with lots of paper towel and pour some boiling hot water in. Not too much but enough to saturate the paper towels. Lay a sheet of wax paper over that and take the butterflies out of their envelopes.

I leave them in there for about an hour. Take them out and their ready to go. I always let them dry over night to make sure they wont move.

 

[thedude]

i never used the wax paper so i guess i will put a sheet of that in next time around... you only let them dry for a night?? but then again you orer yours dead... most of mine are still sorta juicy when i pin them

 

[Curry]

Yea the wax paper helps keep the wings from getting wet, just watch for any excessive condensation on the top when you let the tub sit.

Yea mine are just bone dry. So it only takes a few hours to dry. I sometimes put them in the oven for a short while to speed things up.

 

[REAL]

That is awesome man, you sure have a lot of skills with those. I always wanted those but two problems arrise:

1. Space
2. Money

I'm a student and I live in a small house and any more stuff would probably be suicidal. I love those things though, they are sooooo nice. Keep up the great work man!

~Nathan

 

[Cocoa-Jin]

Stunning! My wife would love the butterflies( I do too), but for me the, the beetles are absolutly amazing. I'd love to keep colorful, metallic beetles in a vivarium.

 

[thedude]

do you have any exotic hymenoptera?? or just lepidoteras/coleoptera?

 

[Curry]

Nope but im hopeing to aquire some with the batch of stuff I recently ordered.

 

[thedude]

Nope but im hopeing to aquire some with the batch of stuff I recently ordered.

cools!... let me know if ya get any big pepsis wasps (ima fan)

 

[Ted]

exotic hymenoptera are not as available as the coleopterids and lepidoptera are.
sadly.

 

[thedude]

exotic hymenoptera are not as available as the coleopterids and lepidoptera are.
sadly.

that sucks... how about homoptera or neuroptera?

i love big dobson flies, we get like 3-4 inchers here in PA and i cought 1 male out in az that was about 2 maybe 3 inches

 

[Curry]

exotic hymenoptera are not as available as the coleopterids and lepidoptera are.
sadly.

Yep =(

When you do get them though ... WOW

Asian giant hornet Vespa mandarinia

 

[Ted]

Yep =(

When you do get them though ... WOW

exactly!
I can get them, most likely.
right now a collector friend of mine is in cameroon.
i hope they bring me back some goodies!
:}

 

[Ted]

Yep =(

When you do get them though ... WOW

Asian giant hornet Vespa mandarinia

sweeeet!
i saw a documentary on those.
completely wicked wasps if there ever were any.
is that you holding it?:worship:

 

[thedude]

Yep =(

When you do get them though ... WOW

Asian giant hornet Vespa mandarinia

is... is that alive?? lol it looks it.

how big of a wing span does that thing have.. it's body looks around
2 1/2 - 3" so ima say 3-4"??

 

[thedude]

exactly!
I can get them, most likely.
right now a collector friend of mine is in cameroon.
i hope they bring me back some goodies!
:}

do they have pepsis over in africa??

id love to see some african stuff, my friend who has bin all over the world collecting for collages and museams has allot of S-AM stuff but ive never seen alot of his african