Insect preservation can be done through wet or dry methods. The wet method uses fluid preservatives like ethanol or isopropyl alcohol to stabilize and prevent decay of specimens. The dry method preserves insects without liquid by first killing them using chloroform or benzene, then carding, pinning, or spreading small, medium, and large specimens respectively to be displayed. Proper collection and killing techniques are required before preservation.

1. PRESERVATIONMETHODS

2.  The process of display of collected insects & other arthropods for scientific
study or as hobby is called as “insect preservation”.
 Insect preservation can be done in several ways, bu broatdly classified into
two ways:
Wet method
Dry method

3. WET METHOD:
o A Fluid material is used for preservation in “Wet Preservation”.
o A fluid preservative has to stabilize the specimen, be germicidal,
and prevent autolysis.
o The most common preservative fluids are ethyl alcohol (also
called ethanol or grain alcohol) and isopropyl alcohol (also called
isopropanol or rubbing alcohol).

5. DRY
PRESERVATION:
o The insects are preserved without using liquid medium in “Dry
Preservation”.
o The insect body is kept in oven for certain time.
o Insects firstly prepared for appropriate method accordingly their type,
there are different methods used for dry preservation namely:
Carding
Pinning
Spreading

6. KILLING:
 Insects have to be carefully
captured & killed.
 One can use tight capped bottle
jar having Chloroform or
Benzene dipped cotton.
 This will effect on the respiratory
system of insect & it will die.
 After killing process we can use
dry method for preservation.

7. CARDING:
 A small sized insects are
preserved with this method.
 Pinning would destroy too
much of the specimen because
its size is quite small.
 A cardboard is cut triangular
shaped & insect is stick on it
with glue.

8. PINNING:
 Pinning is used primarily for
hard-bodied, medium to large
specimens.
 The pin is most often driven
through the thorax of the insect
just to the right of the mid-line
to preserve the appearance of at
least one side should any
damage occur from pinning.

9. SPREADING:
 Butterflies & Moths are having
colorful wings, hence preserved by
Spreading method.
 They are pinned in middle of thorax
& their wings are spread by using
paper strips.
 This method helps to highlight the
bright colorful wings of these
insects.