Hello! I've started collecting insects again after quitting as a young teen (my entire collection got eaten because I didn't know how to protect them; too crushed to start again) and have purchased a starter kit from Education Science. It comes with a riker mount (I believe that's what it is) that has cotton batting in the bottom and comes with extra cotton batting. My question is how do you pin insects on cotton batting? It seems like the pin wouldn't stay upright and the legs would get caught and pulled off. My previous kit as a young teen came with a cardboard box with foam in the bottom. The pins had no trouble staying upright and there was enough distance between the specimens and the bottom that I had enough room to space the labels and keep the legs nice.

I've seen some sources that say to just lay the insects on the batting, but again, wouldn't that tear off the legs? And how would you label them?

I haven't collected any insects yet because I want to do it right. Google has been less than helpful so I thought a community of humans would be more helpful. Thanks in advance! :D

Hello! I'm a florist and have an interesting dried flower commission that will include preserved tarantulas. I recently purchased dead tarantulas from etsy (from an ethical source). I need to articulate/position the limbs so I can mount it onto/into a dried flower display. Currently the spiders are tightly sealed in plastic. Any advice on how to adjust the limbs or tips on how to mount them?

hii!! sorry if this question doesn’t follow with the rules i didn’t know where else to go. for christmas i got a preserved wood spider, and he came in a plastic frame with plastic wrap sealing him in. i had no idea that this was only for protection during shipping until just now when i was looking at other insects on etsy!!! is he ok to be kept in this frame, or should i get a better case to display him in? (currently i have him hung on my wall still in his case). i apologize for my ignorance but he is the first insect ive gotten so far that hasn’t been incased in resin

I am New and I will try to get a moth is there a simple trap and a time in day Where there are a lot moths and some tips

I'm just a beginner so I would love to learn a little bit more.

Hi there!

Welcome to r/InsectCollections, I'm the new mod and I want to announce the reopening of the sub, which has been inactive for quite some time.

There's not much to say, I hope this sub will grow and become a place where insect collectors can share their pictures, stories, tips and tricks, a place to find people from other parts of the world in order to trade insects and to meet people with the same hobby.

I wish you happy collecting and happy posting!

So I got into bug collecting two years ago and I did all the leg work of capturing and freezing a good haul. But then I got busy and didn’t start pinning until today. The bugs have been frozen for nearly two years, since August 2018, would that have an impact on anything?

So, I'm trying to source peppered moth specimens. Peppered moth typical morph and black morph. Biston betularia f. typical and carbonaria. I think?

I'm not an entomologist by any means but my girlfriend is and loves insects. She recently got an awesome tattoo. A peppered moth above each elbow; one black and one white. She loves how they turned out. Our one year anniversary is coming up and I want to put together a gift for her. My thought is I could get a black and typical morph for her collection as a part of her gift.

Any ideas where I could purchase these from? They're a bit plain so I haven't come across anywhere that is selling them.

(I've tried posting this to r/Entomology as well, but for whatever reason it's having trouble posting there).

Hello there! Have you ever been interested in joining an animal/plant discord server? Then I've got the place for you! We have channels varying from plant keeping/ gardening, to herp keeping, bird keeping, and much more! Here's the invite if you're interested! https://discord.gg/SzrDWeH

Like a game on PC or something?

I can't have a real insect collection so it would be cool to at least be able to have a simulator or something.

what breed is this

https://preview.redd.it/sp1f3chjswl11.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b6e1b07eac02bb8895e61f331ee257e5ddaa086a

So I’m a rising 9th grader and I have an entomology project due when school starts again (this is a mostly summer project). I need seven orders and forty different species. So my family and I traveled to China and we’re staying for about a month. I’ve already caught six butterflies, a dragonfly, and two cicadas. The only problem is I’m not completely sure how to take them back into the US.

I’ve seen old posts about taking insects into the US from 2016 and around that time but I’m afraid things might’ve changed.

The information I do know (please correct me if I’m wrong) is that when we arrive at the US I have to fill out a blue customs sheet and inform them that I’m bringing insects with me. From there I have to tell an inspecting officer what I plan on doing with them, if they’re on the CITES list, if they’re dead or carry diseases, etc.

I’m just not sure what I need to know about bringing this insects back to the US and if I need a permit/how I get a permit and all that jazz. If someone could please explain to me how this works you would have the gratitude of a rising 9th grader and a chance to give her an A.