Insect preserving question

[draconisj4]

Question for anyone with experience in pinning insects. One of my oldest P. horrida is close to passing and I'd like to make a Victorian type taxidermy display with him when he goes. I understand how to pin an insect but since he's so large I was wondering if I can just let him dry normally or if I have to clean out the abdomen so he doesn't just decay and get covered with mites.

 

[Smotzer]

Question for anyone with experience in pinning insects. One of my oldest P. horrida is close to passing and I'd like to make a Victorian type taxidermy display with him when he goes. I understand how to pin an insect but since he's so large I was wondering if I can just let him dry normally or if I have to clean out the abdomen so he doesn't just decay and get covered with mites.

P. horrida as is spiny assassin?

 

[draconisj4]

P. horrida as is spiny assassin?

Yes, if that is a horrid king assassin.

 

[Smotzer]

Okay yeah you don’t need to drain the abdomen with assassin bugs don’t really need to do that with anything other than soft bodies insects, and mites aren’t an issue, have you pinned insects before? I’ve been pinning extensively for 8 years. So any questions you have feel free to ask them? What kind of pins do you have ? How are you planning on pinning it?

 

[BenLeeKing]

I've seen a few dead dry Platymeris, as far as I know they don't have much fat content and so shouldn't rot like many orthopterans.
Psytalla is practically just a larger Platymeris, so don't worry, just do what you usually do.

 

[Smotzer]

I've seen a few dead dry Platymeris, as far as I know they don't have much fat content and so shouldn't rot like many orthopterans.
Psytalla is practically just a larger Platymeris, so don't worry, just do what you usually do.

Why would they rot like orthoptera, assassins are true bugs in Hemiptera.

 

[BepopCola]

Why would they rot like orthoptera, assassins are true bugs in Hemiptera.

I have a fat shield backed-katydid in my freezer that I need to pin. Do orthoptera rot so badly? I don't have much experience with those guys, I'd been assuming they'd dry similar to large roaches or flys.

Question for anyone with experience in pinning insects. One of my oldest P. horrida is close to passing and I'd like to make a Victorian type taxidermy display with him when he goes. I understand how to pin an insect but since he's so large I was wondering if I can just let him dry normally or if I have to clean out the abdomen so he doesn't just decay and get covered with mites.

I agree with @Smotzer that true bugs can safely dry normally.
If you're really worried, you can pin it normally and freezer-dry it. This would involve placing it (pinned) in an airtight container filled with a desiccant and then just letting it dry out in the freezer. This would take months and months though.

 

[Smotzer]

I have a fat shield backed-katydid in my freezer that I need to pin. Do orthoptera rot so badly? I don't have much experience with those guys, I'd been assuming they'd dry similar to large roaches or flys.

I have personally never had any problems with orthoptera rotting, and I’ve pinned a lot and some really large ones. Katydids dry nicely in my opinion.
I have found that freezed specimens that you then thaw out and pin, have definite color inconsistencies. I usually pin fresh specimens so I’m not sure if there’s any risk of rot on frozen specimens. I’m a kill jar kind of guy.

I agree with @Smotzer that true bugs can safely dry normally.
If you're really worried, you can pin it normally and freezer-dry it. This would involve placing it (pinned) in an airtight container filled with a desiccant and then just letting it dry out in the freezer. This would take months and months though.

I think feeezer drying Any Hemipteran is very unnecessary, they are very easy to dry out.

 

[draconisj4]

Okay yeah you don’t need to drain the abdomen with assassin bugs don’t really need to do that with anything other than soft bodies insects, and mites aren’t an issue, have you pinned insects before? I’ve been pinning extensively for 8 years. So any questions you have feel free to ask them? What kind of pins do you have ? How are you planning on pinning it?

No I haven't pinned any before. He's going to be my first attempt and learning experience. Basically I don't just want a pinned insect display but I do want the legs to dry in a natural position, hence the pins. I want him to be in a natural diorama under a glass dome as if he were still alive. One question I do have is if the pin through the body is removable once dried or if there is some other way to elevate the body to dry while just pinning the legs in place. I did order an assortment of pins made specifically for pinning insects.

I have some time to figure this out. He's slowing down a lot, pretty much just sitting on the substrate in one spot the last few days and not very alert but he did eat tonight when I offered him a roach so I guess he'll be around a little bit longer.

 

[Smotzer]

No I haven't pinned any before. He's going to be my first attempt and learning experience. Basically I don't just want a pinned insect display but I do want the legs to dry in a natural position, hence the pins. I want him to be in a natural diorama under a glass dome as if he were still alive. One question I do have is if the pin through the body is removable once dried or if there is some other way to elevate the body to dry while just pinning the legs in place. I did order an assortment of pins made specifically for pinning insects.

I have some time to figure this out. He's slowing down a lot, pretty much just sitting on the substrate in one spot the last few days and not very alert but he did eat tonight when I offered him a roach so I guess he'll be around a little bit longer.

Okay that sounds good, I’ve done a lot stuff like that too. And yeah you can remove the pin once it’s dried, but it will be much more stable if you leave it in.

And if you want to get a little bit of elevation so it looks like it’s up and in motion, get a piece of styrofoam and place it on it, insert the pin in the correct position, and push it through way further than you would if you were pinning it to be flat, and then lift it up so the body is above the cardboard at a good height. Then position the legs down and out. I can walk you through this when you get there.
Whenever I do a “in motion pin” I prefer to use #00 sized pins for legs, or a #0, if I’m out. That’s just my preference, cause they’re small enough to position them in many points along the sides of each legs to get it into the right position. And I chose the pinning pin according to the size of the insect.

I think you’ll fall in love with pinning, it’s one of my absolute favorite things to do, it’s very relaxing.

 

[BenLeeKing]

Why would they rot like orthoptera, assassins are true bugs in Hemiptera.

I said they won't rot like orthopterans, but i guess "rot" was lot not the best word to describe what I'm thinking. The softer bodied orthopterans will discolor and deflate, and if not allowed to dry quick they might start going bad (although most of the time they won't).
Assassins are are way harder and yeah you won't have issue.

 

[draconisj4]

Okay that sounds good, I’ve done a lot stuff like that too. And yeah you can remove the pin once it’s dried, but it will be much more stable if you leave it in.

And if you want to get a little bit of elevation so it looks like it’s up and in motion, get a piece of styrofoam and place it on it, insert the pin in the correct position, and push it through way further than you would if you were pinning it to be flat, and then lift it up so the body is above the cardboard at a good height. Then position the legs down and out. I can walk you through this when you get there.
Whenever I do a “in motion pin” I prefer to use #00 sized pins for legs, or a #0, if I’m out. That’s just my preference, cause they’re small enough to position them in many points along the sides of each legs to get it into the right position. And I chose the pinning pin according to the size of the insect.

I think you’ll fall in love with pinning, it’s one of my absolute favorite things to do, it’s very relaxing.

Awesome, thank you. I got the idea while browsing on etsy. There was a shop selling these little displays and I just loved them, but they were a bit spendy. I did buy a small one because it had a very pretty moth, after I got it I was thinking I'd like to have a small collection of these but it would cost too much. About a day later, it dawned on me that I keep insects and I could make these myself for a lot less money. I have a lot of natural materials left over from my crafting days and the insects so the only cost would be the domes. Looking forward to trying this.

 

[Smotzer]

Awesome, thank you. I got the idea while browsing on etsy. There was a shop selling these little displays and I just loved them, but they were a bit spendy. I did buy a small one because it had a very pretty moth, after I got it I was thinking I'd like to have a small collection of these but it would cost too much. About a day later, it dawned on me that I keep insects and I could make these myself for a lot less money. I have a lot of natural materials left over from my crafting days and the insects so the only cost would be the domes. Looking forward to trying this.

Yeah they are quite pricey on Etsy, it’s much cheaper to pin them yourselves, but pinning them nicely like they’re in those displays can definitely take some practice. I think you’ll enjoy the process a lot! Keep us updated with how it goes and if you have any otter questions I’m more than happy to help someone get into the art of pinning!

 

[Smotzer]

@draconisj4 I’m in the process of developing some more extensive systems to pin insects in natural in motion set ups, like feeding, in flight, threat postures, and mating. But they all require me to make handmade pinning jig set-ups to get them in the right positions. You may fall in love with pinning and it take you down an amazing path of collecting and pinning your own displays like it has with me