and I'm going to leave it in the freezer for one and a half hrs till it dies. I learn that it probably wont feel as much pain because they're exothermic. Right? Anyway, I got 2 pins with me and a foam board to pin it on. Am I doing everything right so far?
How do I pin the wasp? Please tell me steps. Any info is welcome :)
How do I pin the wasp? Please tell me steps. Any info is welcome :)
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The freezer is an ok option for killing collected insects. Bear in mind, however, that some insects are able to weather winters by entering a state similar to hibernation. Such insects would still be alive but paralyzed when you pinned them! A rudimentary killing jar is easy to make, and may be more humane for killing insects that can withstand the cold of a freezer.
To make a killing jar, simply take a small jar or tupperware container, no larger than it absolutely needs to be. Soak a cotton ball in nail-polish remover, drop it in, and voila! Instant kill-jar. Of course, make sure the insect doesn't come in contact with any nail-polish remover because its body may dissolve, and that's no good for pinning.
As far as pinning your wasp, you picked a tricky one to start with! Wasps and ants have very small thoracic regions, which makes them tricky to pin. To show off the wasp's striking coloration, I suggest a mount where the wasp is facing towards the Styrofoam, showing off its back. Once it's dead, simply position it where you'd like it to go and drive a pin into its thorax (the middle part of its body, not the head and not the long, skinny abdomen), making sure to avoid the wings. You may want to place pins to either side of the specimen to keep its wings spread, but don't puncture the wings!
I hope this helped! Happy hunting!
EDIT: You can keep the insects in the killing jar as long as it takes for you to be certain that they're dead. Exactly how long that will be depends on how large the jar is and the concentration of the vapors. Your best bet is to wait until there is no movement from the insect and it is resting on its side, or if it doesn't move when tapped onto its side. Insects don't lie down, so it's a pretty reliable way of knowing if they're really dead.
And you should be able to move the wasp, just don't get stung! Also, give it extra time in the jar. If it is in a dormant state, it may look dead before it actually is. Give it time to warm up. If it still isn't moving in about an hour and half (sitting at room temperature) it should be safe to pin.
By the way, I really appreciate how you're making the effort to build your collection as humanely as possible. :)
To make a killing jar, simply take a small jar or tupperware container, no larger than it absolutely needs to be. Soak a cotton ball in nail-polish remover, drop it in, and voila! Instant kill-jar. Of course, make sure the insect doesn't come in contact with any nail-polish remover because its body may dissolve, and that's no good for pinning.
As far as pinning your wasp, you picked a tricky one to start with! Wasps and ants have very small thoracic regions, which makes them tricky to pin. To show off the wasp's striking coloration, I suggest a mount where the wasp is facing towards the Styrofoam, showing off its back. Once it's dead, simply position it where you'd like it to go and drive a pin into its thorax (the middle part of its body, not the head and not the long, skinny abdomen), making sure to avoid the wings. You may want to place pins to either side of the specimen to keep its wings spread, but don't puncture the wings!
I hope this helped! Happy hunting!
EDIT: You can keep the insects in the killing jar as long as it takes for you to be certain that they're dead. Exactly how long that will be depends on how large the jar is and the concentration of the vapors. Your best bet is to wait until there is no movement from the insect and it is resting on its side, or if it doesn't move when tapped onto its side. Insects don't lie down, so it's a pretty reliable way of knowing if they're really dead.
And you should be able to move the wasp, just don't get stung! Also, give it extra time in the jar. If it is in a dormant state, it may look dead before it actually is. Give it time to warm up. If it still isn't moving in about an hour and half (sitting at room temperature) it should be safe to pin.
By the way, I really appreciate how you're making the effort to build your collection as humanely as possible. :)