How I Preserve Mantids

[agent A]

This is my guide for preserving mantids. This method is like a modified version of joosa's method.

Setup:

You'll need-

1 large carboard peice that is elevated (like a removable shoebox lid, only bigger)

1 peice of paper towel

tape

what to do-

the reason to use something like a lid is so it's elevated, pins aren't through the bottom. Have it on the ground as if it the ground is the box and the lid is on. Tape a peice of paper towel firmly to the board. You have made your spreading board.

Next-

1 jar (and lid)

1 cup water

fourth a cup of bleach

cotton balls

paper towels

small peice of cardboard

what to do-

mix bleach and water together. place cotton balls in bottom of jar and pour in bleachy water mixture until cotton balls are submerged. place in a few paper towels so all the mixture in the jar is held by cotton or paper towel and press it all down to condense it. CAUTION!!! PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO THIS MIXTURE WILL MAKE YOU FEEL WOOZY!!! KEEP JAR CAPPED UNLESS YOU ARE PUTTING IN OR TAKING OUT A MANTIS SPECIMEN!!! Place cardboard over paper towels so mantis doesn't come in direct contact with the mixture. AGAIN, BE SURE TO CAP jAR!!! I am not responsible for any injuries resulting in excess inhalation of bleach water mixture. You are finished with the relaxing jar.

Finally-

ziplock baggie

dead mantis

paper towel

Also need-

paper towel

pins

paper strips

Procedure:

when mantis dies, take a paper towel. fold towel twice before putting mantis on it to avoid crushing specimen. place mantis on fully expanded paper towel and refold. Place paper towel in airtight ziplock bag and put it in the freezer for 1 month. before spreading or relaxing, thaw it in fridge for an hour after the 1 month is up. put it on the cardboard of the relaxing jar and keep it there for 1 day per inch of mantis. after relaxing, push a pin through it in the abdomen right behind the thorax, but DO NOT PUNCTURE WINGS!!! stick pin into board, and push it down so mantis touches paper towel. take tweezers and slowly position legs how you want them, by pulling them into desired position, pushing them back into origional position, then pulling into desired position again. do this several times to relieve any tension. do this with all legs, claws, and wings. if you want to spread wings, fold another paper towel in half, then cut that in half. you should then have 2 half pieces folded in half. cover legs with the pad and make sure pad touches along side of the mantis. pin pad into place. spread wings onto pad and pin down a piece of paper to hold them in place. hindwings are tricky, and it takes quick reflexes to cover them before they revert into origional position. if you do not want to spread wings, hold legs in place with paper strip pinned to board. use paper strips for claws, and position antennae by flexing them into position then putting pins on each side of both antennae. place under bed or dresser for 1 week. after that, carefully remove any and all pins, paper strips and pads before removing mantis to pin it in your collection. post any questions or comments here. good luck!

 

[PhilinYuma]

Alex: I am impressed by the fact that you are actively experimenting, but I am concerned about yr use of a bleach (sodium hypochlorite 1.5%) solution in treating insects. Your solution is very close to that recommended by OSHA for sterilizing blood and body fluid contamination and should prove an effective bactericide on anything that the solution touches, but it will not contact the anaerobic (living without oxygen) bacteria of decay inside the insect and I doubt that the chlorine that evaporates from the solution will be adequate to kill bacteria on the insect's surfaces.

As you know, the active agent in bleach is chlorine, a corrosive oxidizing agent which destroys both dead and, at greater concentration, living tissue. The major concern with this chemical is not that it will make you "woozy" but that the chlorine will destroy your lungs. I have myself, though, used hundreds of gallons of the 1% solution without ill effect, so I don't think that inhalation , though always something to be wary of, is a major issue here.

I would guess that while it is in the freezer, the bleach is inactive. Why did you decide to keep your specimens in there for a month, rather than a week or a day? So far, I don't understand your reasoning, there.

The biggest problem, though, is the obvious one. Bleach bleaches. If it doesn't come in contact with yr specimens, it won't bleach them, but it won't do anything else, either. If it does come in contact with them, it will bleach out their colors and probably destroy tissue.

I would like to hear your reasoning on these questions and also, to see some pictures of the process and the mounted specimens. Can you show us some?

 

[agent A]

Alex: I am impressed by the fact that you are actively experimenting, but I am concerned about yr use of a bleach (sodium hypochlorite 1.5%) solution in treating insects. Your solution is very close to that recommended by OSHA for sterilizing blood and body fluid contamination and should prove an effective bactericide on anything that the solution touches, but it will not contact the anaerobic (living without oxygen) bacteria of decay inside the insect and I doubt that the chlorine that evaporates from the solution will be adequate to kill bacteria on the insect's surfaces. As you know, the active agent in bleach is chlorine, a corrosive oxidizing agent which destroys both dead and, at greater concentration, living tissue. The major concern with this chemical is not that it will make you "woozy" but that the chlorine will destroy your lungs. I have myself, though, used hundreds of gallons of the 1% solution without ill effect, so I don't think that inhalation , though always something to be wary of, is a major issue here.

I would guess that while it is in the freezer, the bleach is inactive. Why did you decide to keep your specimens in there for a month, rather than a week or a day? So far, I don't understand your reasoning, there.

The biggest problem, though, is the obvious one. Bleach bleaches. If it doesn't come in contact with yr specimens, it won't bleach them, but it won't do anything else, either. If it does come in contact with them, it will bleach out their colors and probably destroy tissue.

I would like to hear your reasoning on these questions and also, to see some pictures of the process and the mounted specimens. Can you show us some?

I am working on getting pics. the bleach is not in the freezer. read joosa's guide to pinning and spreading, that's where I got the bleach idea from

 

[batsofchaos]

Bleach is traditionally added to a relaxing jar to keep the jar from molding. A 1 part bleach to 4 parts water mixture is way more than you need for preventing mold in the jar and comes with the risks Phil mentions, including damage to skin/lungs/specimen. Phil's suggestion of a 1% solution is adequate for preventing mold (a half a teaspoon of bleach for every cup of water is about a 1% solution).

The real variation in your method is the amount of time the specimen spends in the freezer. The freezer is a reasonable place to store a mantid until you're ready to pin them, but the general consensus among expert collectors is that it's best to pin immediately after death and that a relaxing jar is more a necessity caused by not always having time to pin rather than a superior pinning technique. I'm curious what benifits you've found to freezing them first, and why for a month.

 

[agent A]

freezing preserves color and dries the mantids without bacteria growing. think about it, you have a dead body out in the open drying, bacteria are gonna get at it and eat away at it, causing decay. Bacteria present on the mantis are killed when frozen and new bacteria won't grow.

 

[Opivy]

I seem to recall that bacteria can live in freezing temperatures... I think it's only extreme heat that kills them -

But I don't remember much anymore.

 

[batsofchaos]

I seem to recall that bacteria can live in freezing temperatures... I think it's only extreme heat that kills them - But I don't remember much anymore.

Bacteria (at least the garden variety stuff that we're concerned about) produce rapidly between 40 and 140 degrees fahrenheit. At 140 and higher they start to die, lower and they stop moving. The 0 F which is what most freezers stay at is cold enough to render common bacteria inactive and enter a dormant period, but sub-zero temperatures are needed to actually kill bacteria. Sticking a mantid in the freezer for a month will do nothing to alter the bacteria content of a freshly-dead mantid, although it might do something to prevent color-loss in a specimen for a reason other than 'killing the bacteria.'

 

[3.1415926]

Maybe you can stick a mantis in a jar of viniger ( to kill bacteria) and after some time dry and embalm the mantis the way insect collecters collectors do. I never trie d this before but maybe soon.

Will this ruin the mantids color?

 

[PhilinYuma]

Bacteria (at least the garden variety stuff that we're concerned about) produce rapidly between 40 and 140 degrees fahrenheit. At 140 and higher they start to die, lower and they stop moving. The 0 F which is what most freezers stay at is cold enough to render common bacteria inactive and enter a dormant period, but sub-zero temperatures are needed to actually kill bacteria. Sticking a mantid in the freezer for a month will do nothing to alter the bacteria content of a freshly-dead mantid, although it might do something to prevent color-loss in a specimen for a reason other than 'killing the bacteria.'

Yes, of course. Not only is this useful to know for its own sake, but anyone who freezes and then defrosts chicken before cooking it, say, should know the "40-140F" rule. Restaurants that forget it can cause outbreaks of Pseudomonas, E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter and other nasties and then get shut down. And so that I don't get sued, the FDA says that an internal probe in the thigh of a whole cooked chicken should read 180F and chicken breast, 170F (I personally find these temps about 5-10F too high for good cooking).

 

[batsofchaos]

Phil: Cooking is exactly where I learned those numbers. 145 for beef, 160 for pork, 180 for whole fowl (measured at the thigh). Good stuff to know.

10dor1fro32: Vinegar would have the same trouble that bleach would have. Strong corrosives will damage the specimen, although vinegar added to a relaxing jar would be a perfectly acceptable alternative to bleach for preventing mold within the jar. As for the methods used be professionals for 'embalming' insects, the only time that's employed is for soft-bodied insects like caterpillars, that would shrivel on a pin. For those specimens, they're boiled briefly to set the color (like blanching veggies ) and are then suspended in an embalming solution. The only other preventative measures taken by pros for insect pinning is cutting open the abdomen on the underside, removing the contents, and stuffing with cotton to create a natural appearance. This is usually only necessary on extremely large and somewhat soft-bodied insects, like Cecropia moths. Usually, there's no preparation to halt decomp. Since insects have exoskeletons and there isn't a heck of a lot of moisture in them, you're generally okay letting them dry out on their own. After all, it doesn't matter what bacteria is present anymore if there's no moisture for them to thrive off of. Pros catch insects, drop them in a killing jar, pin and spread them, and then put them to dry. That's it.

This is something worth discussing and experimenting with in our hobby, because it appears mantids really don't like holding onto their color after death. The professionally collected and pinned mantids I've seen are usually washed-out and dreary in appearance. Some species are better at holding onto their color than others, but there does seem to be a loss across the board. It would be interesting to know if mantids had a different source of coloration from other insects that's perhaps more volatile, like how certain inks and paints are light-fast while others are not. And if they are just not light-fast, is there anything we can do to prevent it?

 

[agent A]

Look, the method I describe works for me to preserve color and get a good quality specimen. Please stop questioning the method and try it out and see if it works for you.

 

[batsofchaos]

It may in fact help preserve the color better than other methods, but the why is still important to discuss. The month-long freezing period may in fact yeild better results than little/no freezing period, but it would be nice to have a working theory as to why. An experiment is called for, one I may conduct when I have several mantids and a nice camera to work with. From a scientific experiment we may be able to glean a working process that will result in better pinned specimens.

The scientific process is about asking questions, Alex. When something you're doing/done causes others to ask questions, it should be taken as a compliment, not a personal attack.

 

[PhilinYuma]

It may in fact help preserve the color better than other methods, but the why is still important to discuss. The month-long freezing period may in fact yeild better results than little/no freezing period, but it would be nice to have a working theory as to why. An experiment is called for, one I may conduct when I have several mantids and a nice camera to work with. From a scientific experiment we may be able to glean a working process that will result in better pinned specimens.The scientific process is about asking questions, Alex. When something you're doing/done causes others to ask questions, it should be taken as a compliment, not a personal attack.

Again, I have to agree, even though agreeing is not much fun. I see that you are a stickler for scientific nomenclature, Alex, even if you are not sure what that implies, so surely you should encourage questions about yr (or anyone's) scientific method. Perhaps this will help. When you say that placing yr mantis in the freezer for a month helps preserve color, are you sure that the result is because of the temperature or because you have kept it in the dark? Only experimentation can answer these questions. Good luck!

 

[agent A]

When you say that placing yr mantis in the freezer for a month helps preserve color, are you sure that the result is because of the temperature or because you have kept it in the dark? Only experimentation can answer these questions.

ah ha! that is a good idea! I'll see if it's temperature or darkness (afterall, it is a cold winter here now)

 

[yen_saw]

Discoloring (turning black) after mantis passed is due to the tissue turning bad from the bacteria, hence the stench. Keeping the mantis in alcohol (100% ethanol) could preserve the tissue and keeping bacteria away. Freezer is dry and so dries up the excess mositure in the dead mantis, thus basically slow down or stall the rotting process. but once it is out of the freezer the ice within could thaw and discoloring may resume. Drying the mantis in dark cool area maynot stop the discoloring, a pressurized/dehydrating chamber (expensive!) for 1-2 hour can preserve the mantis in great condition. Or spreading the dead mantis and leave it dried in the heated oven work as well, have to make sure it does catch fire though.

 

[agent A]

Discoloring (turning black) after mantis passed is due to the tissue turning bad from the bacteria, hence the stench. Keeping the mantis in alcohol (100% ethanol) could preserve the tissue and keeping bacteria away. Freezer is dry and so dries up the excess mositure in the dead mantis, thus basically slow down or stall the rotting process. but once it is out of the freezer the ice within could thaw and discoloring may resume. Drying the mantis in dark cool area maynot stop the discoloring, a pressurized/dehydrating chamber (expensive!) for 1-2 hour can preserve the mantis in great condition. Or spreading the dead mantis and leave it dried in the heated oven work as well, have to make sure it does catch fire though.

well if the mantis died of any kind of infection or constipation, it will turn black a few days after death. If you remove it from the freezer and it turns black, it died of infection or constipation. Micake turned black after dying of constipation. I'm going to have to do extensinve experiments on specimens to test my theory. I need a procedure.

Let's see.

Step 1, question or problem.- Will freezing a mantis that died of infection prevent it from rotting?

Step 2, research- well I know about bacteria and how they eat tissue

Step 3, hypothesis- If I test the effects of freezing on bacteria in mantis specimens, then freezing will not prevent rotting because the freezer will not kill the bacteria.

Step 4, procedure- Umm, a little help here please.

 

[agent A]

hence the stench.

umm, I don't have a sense of smell, but my mom does and she says my room stinks to high heaven. I have an egyptian mantis drying in there but I killed it by freezing because it was sluggish and dying. Do you think it was infected and the bacteria have an evil vengence?

 

[PhilinYuma]

well if the mantis died of any kind of infection or constipation, it will turn black a few days after death. If you remove it from the freezer and it turns black, it died of infection or constipation. Micake turned black after dying of constipation. I'm going to have to do extensinve experiments on specimens to test my theory. I need a procedure. Let's see.

Step 1, question or problem.- Will freezing a mantis that died of infection prevent it from rotting?

Step 2, research- well I know about bacteria and how they eat tissue

Step 3, hypothesis- If I test the effects of freezing on bacteria in mantis specimens, then freezing will not prevent rotting because the freezer will not kill the bacteria.

Step 4, procedure- Umm, a little help here please.

You are in luck, Alex. BatsofChaos and Yen have already covered all the basics. There, is though, a common misapprehension that you share, that bacteria that cause disease in insects (entomopaths) and those that cause decay, are the same. In fact, they are very different. Almost any moist tissue containing animal protein and fat is susceptible to the anaerobic (living without oxygen) bacteria that cause rotting and usually a foul smell, regardless of what killed the host. Usually, the disease bacteria will die with their host. Drying the tissue will prevent rotting, which is why, before refrigeration, meat was often dried to preserve it, as in beef jerky. So look up some more about how bacteria work.

Step 3 is not a hypothesis, an idea in need of experimental confirmation, but fact.

It seems to me that when you place yr mantis in the freezer for a month, you are merely suspending the natural processes that start again as soon as you remove it. If, though, the process preserves color, and photos of mounted specimens that have been frozen or dried immediately after death would go a long way to demonstrate this, then you have to determine whether it is the cold or the dark (or both) that accomplish this.

If you keep specimens in the dark at room temperature, you will need an airtight container and some kind of desiccaant or drying agent like silica or calcium sulphate.

I look forward to seeing how these experiments turn out, and do please show us pix of the actual insects.

 

[agent A]

You are in luck, Alex. BatsofChaos and Yen have already covered all the basics. There, is though, a common misapprehension that you share, that bacteria that cause disease in insects (entomopaths) and those that cause decay, are the same. In fact, they are very different. Almost any moist tissue containing animal protein and fat is susceptible to the anaerobic (living without oxygen) bacteria that cause rotting and usually a foul smell, regardless of what killed the host. Usually, the disease bacteria will die with their host. Drying the tissue will prevent rotting, which is why, before refrigeration, meat was often dried to preserve it, as in beef jerky. So look up some more about how bacteria work. Step 3 is not a hypothesis, an idea in need of experimental confirmation, but fact.

It seems to me that when you place yr mantis in the freezer for a month, you are merely suspending the natural processes that start again as soon as you remove it. If, though, the process preserves color, and photos of mounted specimens that have been frozen or dried immediately after death would go a long way to demonstrate this, then you have to determine whether it is the cold or the dark (or both) that accomplish this.

If you keep specimens in the dark at room temperature, you will need an airtight container and some kind of desiccaant or drying agent like silica or calcium sulphate.

I look forward to seeing how these experiments turn out, and do please show us pix of the actual insects.

I will get pics, count on it.