D.

E.

8. Double mounts for small insects: A, Position of card point and labels on the pin; B, details of attachment of specimen to card point; C, small moth, order Lepidoptera, pinned with a "minuten nadeln" to a block of pith on a regular insect pin; D, a mosquito, order Diptera, pinned with a "minuten nadeln" to a block of cork on a regular insect pin; E, method of attaching an inflated larva to a regular insect pin by twisting fine wire around a block of cork.

Some insects, too heavy to be held on the point by the adhesive and not large enough to be pinned with regular pins, may be attached to card points by puncturing the right side at the place where the card point would normally be placed and inserting in this puncture the tip of an unbent card point with a little adhesive on it. For puncturing specimens, a needle ground to make a small, sharp scalpel is best.

Minuten nadeln are very small steel pins without heads. They are used to pin small insects on a piece of cork or pith, which is then pinned on a regular insect pin, as illustrated in figure 8, C, D. They should never be used for hard-bodied insects (beetles, bugs).

As with direct pinning, insects mounted on double mounts should be prepared according to standard practices. For the commoner groups these are:

1. Beetles, bugs, leafhoppers, etc.: Mount on card points with the tip bent down and attached to the right side of the specimen ( fig. 8, A, B).

2. Small parasitic wasps : Mount on unbent card points with the adhesive applied to the left side of the specimen and the feet toward the pin.

3. Small moths: Mount on minuten nadeln thrust through the middle of the thorax from above and with the abdomen of the specimen toward the insect pin (fig. 8, C) .

4- Small flies and mosquitoes: Pin with minuten nadeln through the side of the thorax with the right side of the specimen toward the insect pin (fig. 8, D) . Some workers prefer small flies fastened directly to regular insect pins by a bit of adhesive applied to the right side of the specimen.

INSECTS THAT HAVE DRIED after being killed in a cyanide bottle must be relaxed before they are mounted. This can easily be done in a relaxing jar made as follows : Into a wide-mouth jar or can with a tight cover put an inch or two of clean sand; saturate the sand with water to which a few drops of phenol (carbolic acid) have been added to keep mold from growing; cover the sand with a piece or two of cardboard cut to fit the jar, and it is ready for use. Specimens must not come in direct contact with the water and should not be left in the relaxer too long or they will be spoiled. From 1 to 3 days is usually enough. A relaxer should not be left where it will get too warm, or it will sweat on the inside.

TEMPORARY LABELS giving essential information as to date and place of collection should be attached to specimens during preparation and mounting. Before they are put away in the collection, they should be given permanent labels, placed on the pin or in the vial. These labels are small and the data on them must be restricted to the most important information. Additional information about the specimen or specimens may be kept in field notes, associated with the proper material by means of lot numbers or some other convenient system. When specimens are sent for identification they should always be accompanied by all available information.

The following information should be given on the label or labels for each specimen: Locality (usually a place shown on a good map) ; the day, month, and year when collected; the name of the collector; and, if known, the host, food plant, or material attacked.

PERMANENT LABELS should be on good-quality paper, heavy enough so that it will stay flat when the labels are cut out, of a texture that it will not come loose on the pin, and with a surface that can be written on with a fine pen. The ink should be permanent and should not run if the labels are placed in jars containing liquid preservative.

The size of the pin labels will depend somewhat on the insects for which they are intended. Very small labels, necessary for small specimens mounted on points, are not suitable for large moths, butterflies, cicadas, etc., because they cannot be easily read when pinned below these large-bodied insects. Large labels, suitable for the larger insects, take up too much room in the collection if used for small specimens. Labels printed with 4-point type or diamond type will be found suitable for most purposes. Labels may also be made any size by printing a few of them in strips in large type, having an etching made at the desired reduction, and printing the desired number of labels from the etching.

Labels should be attached so that they are balanced with the mounted specimen. Figure 8, A illustrates how to pin labels for specimens mounted on points; for pinned specimens the long axis of the label should coincide with the long axis of the specimen, and the left margin of the label should be toward the head of the specimen. The label may be run up on the pin to the desired height by using the pinning block; the middle step will usually give about the right height.

STANDARD EQUIPMENT for housing the collection assures uniformity of containers when additions are necessary. It is obtainable from any of several reliable supply houses.

Material preserved in liquid need receive no attention other than replacement of preservative and corks. Vials should be examined periodically to be sure the specimens do not become dry. Small vials may be stored in racks in such a way that the corks are not in constant contact with the liquid; this also expedites arrangement and examination of the material. Vials that cannot be inspected frequently. should have the corks replaced with cotton plugs and be placed upside down in a jar large enough to hold several vials, and the jar partially filled with the preservative.

Pinned specimens should be housed in pestproof boxes. Standard insect boxes, called Schmitt boxes, are recommended. If other boxes, such as cork-lined cigar boxes, are used, they must be examined frequently for evidence of pest damage and fumigated periodically. Even pestproof boxes should be fumigated occasionally, lest a pest gain entrance and damage all the specimens. Most entomological institutions store their collections in glass-top drawers fitted with cork-lined trays of various sizes which can be shifted and arranged without the necessity of repinning specimens.

A few simple precautions against museum pests, such as carpet beetles, are a necessary part of the care of material not preserved in liquid. Naphthalene, in the form of ordinary moth balls or flakes, is inexpensive and satisfactory as a repellent, but it will not kill pests once they have gained access to the collection. To kill pests it is necessary to use some fumigant such as paradichlorobenzene (PDB), carbon disulfide, ethylene dichloride, or carbon tetrachloride. Carbon disulfide is probably the most widely used and is effective, but it is inflammable and explosive when mixed with air in certain proportions, it has an unpleasant odor, and it will stain insect boxes.

A small amount of naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene may be included in each box of specimens, either in a cloth bag or a small box with a perforated top firmly pinned in the corner. Naphthalene in the form of moth balls may be pinned in the box by attaching the ball to an ordinary pin. To do this, heat the head of the pin, force it into the moth ball, and permit it to cool. Liquid fumigants may be used without the danger of staining the boxes by saturating a cotton plug and placing it in a short, wide-mouthed vial pinned in the corner.

Adult insects intended for a collection or submitted for identification (to Federal, State, or county entomological authorities, for example ) should not be shipped alive without a permit from the United States Department of Agriculture.

Pupae or larvae sent for rearing should be enclosed in tight containers, such as tin salve boxes or mailing cases. Pupae preferably should be packed loosely in moist (but not wet) moss. Larvae should be packed with enough food material to last until they arrive at the destination.

Bulky insects, or pieces of host plants bearing insects such as scale insects, should be partly or completely dried before being placed in a container or should be packed in a container that will permit drying to continue after closure.

Mounted insects should be firmly pinned in a box securely lined with cork or some other suitable material.

Vials should be wrapped separately in strong paper and then packed in a mailing case or strong box with cotton or cellucotton around them.

Do not put loose naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene in either pill boxes or insect boxes that are being shipped. Never send insects in ordinary envelopes.

PAUL W. OMAN received his academic training at the University of Kansas and the George Washington University. He joined the division of insect identification of the Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine in 1930. He began a period of military duty in 1950.