A good friend gave me some specimen bottles for bug preservation. I have heard that you can use straight vodka for preserving bugs. Is this what I should use? Do I need to get formaldehyde? and just drink the vodka?
Thanks
Shane
You can preserve your bugs (soft-bodied) in ethyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol (70%).
Through a professional (entomological) supply, you could locate a superior product should you care. Such a preservative could solve any worries of possible (slight) color change or brittleness during long-term storage. The extra expense and hassle may or may not be worthwhile depending on your goals.
Save your vodka for martinis, that is unless it’s that cheap stuff…in which case you could try it on the bugs.
“The use of straight Vodka”, Shane is only really good for…The complete preservation of a tired fly fisherman".
Unless I plan on making a soup, or, sauce from the insects I collect I use regular old “rubbing alcohol” to keep them fresh enough, until I can take macro-photos of them.
Trying to preserve and keep a herd of dead bugs around, takes up a lot of room. Taking good, close up, macro focused pictures of the bugs, takes up less room and you can also build a nice “reference library” in a binder or card file, of your pictures for when it’s needed.
Still keep a bottle of Vodka around, though. It’s great for snake bites, spider bites, wife bites, dog bites and biting wind.
Vodka has too much water in it to preserve bugs. It will make a gooy soup out of them. Some “Shine” would preserve them but not vodka!
Rubbing alcohol is cheap like borscht . Vodka isn’t so unless you plan to drink the bugs later…
There is a product called “Bug Balmer” produced by Wind River. It tends to retail for $6 to $7 for 8 oz. and will keep your bugs much longer then rubbing alcohol.
Just to let you know, many states require a permit to collect insects from a river.
Joe Fox
I’m pretty sure here in Oregon, (I’ll have to ask DShock, to be sure, tho’), you’d also need a “Trapper’s License”, to not only remove insects from a river or stream but to also run a trap line for them!?! (unless, of course, it’s Archery Season).
Paul,
Here is a cool Bug Song!;Original Author Unknown
June bug, stink bug,
Ladybug, chinch bug,
Water bug, pink bug,
Please-don’t-pinch bug!
Horsefly, housefly,
Dragonfly, deer fly,
Firefly, fruit fly,
Buzzing-in-your-ear fly!
Honeybee, bumblebee,
Queen bee, drone bee,
Worker bee, nurse bee,
Leave-me-alone bee!
Gypsy moth, luna moth,
Beetle and mosquito,
Bugs and insects
Really are neat-o!
Cockroach, katydid,
Cricket and cicada,
Grasshopper, mantis,
Catch you all later!
Doug
Save yourself the trouble of collecting bugs and then soaking them in your good Vodka. By the cheap Mezcal with the worm at the bottom. Notice I said cheap Mezcal. The good stuff does not contain a larvae in it.
Marty,
Here you go! http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/9/98/300px-Gusanos.jpg
Doug
QUOTE;Guidelines and Highlights of Insect Killing, Preserving and Collecting:
Hard-bodied insects (they would crunch if you step on them) should be placed into a sealed canister and put into your freezer (or the one in the MG office). Freezing insects is an excellent way to kill and keep specimens hydrated. You do not need to buy killing jars (these can be dangerous and you need to pin them immediately). Keep the specimens frozen until you can pin them or bring them in for pinning. Do not keep them in the freezer for extended periods of time (they will get freezer burnt and are useless). Do not let the specimens go dry; it is a difficult process to re-hydrate a bone-dry specimen.
Place soft-bodied insects (like aphids, maggots, caterpillars and other immature insects) into isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) or vinegar. Unless we can get a liquor license, we don?t have access to the preferred fixative, ethanol. Large soft-bodied insects (such as big caterpillars) should be fixed in boiling water. Bring the water to a boil, then remove from the heat and let sit for a few moments until the water is not violent. Throw the specimens into the water; the surface tension usually keeps them afloat. Fish out the insects and place into an airtight vial with alcohol. NOTE: Keep alcohol away from your boiling area.
If you collect immature insects (especially ones with complete metamorphosis) like caterpillars. Kill and preserve only a few. Leave the others to complete their life cycle to adulthood. Check the site regularly and collect each stage (pupae and adult too). Or try and raise the insects yourself by placing them in a cage and feeding them host material. Techniques to do this are in the hand out. This is extremely important because many insects are unidentifiable without the adult stage or even without both males and females. Additionally, you may be very surprised of what else might pop out! This is a great way to find parasitoids (most important beneficials and my favorite bugs).
Finally and MOST IMPORTANTLY, keep records of each specimen collected. An insect collected with out a label is senseless slaughter of a living thing because it is useless to anyone. Do not neglect this responsibility. Always label your bugs and always have a pen and paper handy. You NEED to take the following information:
The location that you have collected the specimen. State, County, City, Street Address, or significant landmark such as Cornwall Park.
The habitat/host or any biologically significant association. Like collected from raspberry. Or collected on edge of tidal pool. Or collected from dead log. Or reared from cherry leaves?.
Sampling technique or collection method. Trapped at light. Pit-fall trap. Hand collected.
Killing method and preservation. Boiled in H2O, Isopropyl alcohol, vinegar… End Quote. http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/homehort/pest/collection.htm
Doug