RosenKrieger Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 The title says it all. How would you go about drying a bug for display? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crepsis Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Get some "silica gel" from the florist or wherever they have it locally. After you've pinnedthe insect to a piece of card, put the card in an airtight container with the silica gel for as long as it takes...a couple of days, probably, at the most. Silica gel comes in a powdered/crystallized/flaked form, they used to sell it at walmart in the crafts section years ago, in a cylindrical container. It's the same thing that comes in a tiny little bag that says "dessicant - do not ingest" in a number of products...the first that comes to mind is shoes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosenKrieger Posted October 17, 2007 Author Share Posted October 17, 2007 Oh, alright. that sounds easier than I thought it would be. I have a few packs of silica gel sitting around from some bottles of aquarium test strips and various old medication bottles. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crepsis Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 I'm pretty sure that you can 'refresh' the silica gel, by baking it in the oven at a relatively low setting (maybe like 250 degrees F) for a while (just guessing but like 30 minutes). Oh, btw, you may want to remove it from the baggies it comes in before you 'refresh' it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosenKrieger Posted October 17, 2007 Author Share Posted October 17, 2007 Yeah. Im not too fond of things bursting into flames in my oven. lol I'll give that a try if I have any roaches pass on soon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt K Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 I have some good luck immersing the bug in alchohol at let it preserve for a couple of weeks, then removing it and positioning it on a heat mat (windowsill would also work on paper towel) until it dries out- the alchohol dries fairly quickly. The resulting dried positioned specimen seems not likely to get mold or dry rot in anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosenKrieger Posted May 7, 2008 Author Share Posted May 7, 2008 Matt, what kind of alcohol? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt K Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Matt, what kind of alcohol? SKYY Vodka No! Seriously, I used isopropyl (spelling?) alchohol (rubbing alchohol) the cheap kind in the big bottle at the grocery store. Its a percentage on the label because it is diluted with water. So it works for short term preservation, but not for long term specimen preservation as to keep it in a jar of it for a long time. Ethanol works best for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.