Frozen Bugs - An Alternative way to Kill Jars and prepare Specimens for Pinning

Our Summer 2014 bug collection is getting enourmous! We have exceeded all expectations and crossed the 1,000 specimens mark. Our two biggest finds with nearly 200 insects each added a whopping 400 insects in a brief 2 month (or so) period. We don't always use my unique kill jar method (Acetone nail polish remover on a cotton ball). We often use the freezer method when accessible.

Frozen Bugs - An Alternative way to Kill Jars and prepare Specimens for Pinning 

Which luckily freezers seem to always be accessible. Once we capture an insect, either dead or injured, we put them in our jars, or mom's makeshift bug envelope and freeze them. Freezing is a nice humane method. The insect nearly instantly gets drowsy / gets stunned from the cold. Their so small, the chill affects them instantly. The freezer method is also sterile because the jars (which we clean with soap and water after each capture) don't use chemicals like with traditional kill jars. Any bacteria the insects carry is within the safety of the jar.

In this picture I removed the lid and one fly for a size example. As always, I prefer plastic jars when working with my kids. We simply keep and clean plastic containers from what we love to eat - Nutella containers (with the paper lining from the inner lid removed), a Polish mustard jar (I make my awesome salad dressing with it & of course use a schmear on grilled Polish Sausage), and the blue point is a quickly made envelope (from paper we looked for when we found the Western Conifer Hemiptera).

LIFE IS STILL EXCITING AT OUR HOUSE! 

With more insects. . . 

Quick 2021 update - we have taken our bugs online and on youtube. Visit AMI Studios Chicago if you want to see our insect videos - you can watch them here. 

AMI Studios Chicago

It's mostly baby girls videos and here slime making, she spends time with friends on coloring activities and make good choices while having fun. During the covid stay at home orders - she had many many many facetime pandemic playdates - we made time work for us and not be bored.

Occasionally we find them easily because their missing a leg, in these instances we keep the insect because its likelihood of survival is low. It'll surely be eaten by a predator BIGGER bug or a bird because of the weakness of the missing limb.

Frozen Bugs - An Alternative way to Kill Jars and prepare Specimens for Pinning 

Today is raining. These specimens have been in the freezer for several days. When I remove them they'll still be soft to pin - their natural moisture was quickly frozen allowing for easy pinning when thawed (approximately 20 minutes of thawing, I'll check the flexibility of limbs, and elytra to ensure movement. Flexibility means is amply thawed before pinning and to avoid breakage).