Pinning Session

[guapoalto049]

Hi everyone,

Had some time off on this rainy day so I decided to do some pinning. The specimens were in bad shape, ones that I had hastily stored in a drying container in 2012. They hadn't been gutted in the normal fashion that I prefer; I was in the process of moving so they got placed on the backburner. 

Relaxing Chamber:

Pins, wool for stuffing the abdomen:

7-0 Monocryl suture for abdominal closures:

Instruments:

Hymenopus and Pseudocreobotra females:

Blepharopsis before setting wings:

Belpharopsis after setting wings:

Example of others I'd pinned years ago:

 

[guapoalto049]

Normally I recommend putting a mantid that's on his/her last leg into the freezer for 20 min to humanely end their life. After doing so, I cut a slit from the thoraco-abdominal junction to around the 5th segment (females) or 6th segment (males). Removal of all of the GI system will prevent rotting of the specimen by removing all of the normal flora that is found in the GI tract of most living things. Be careful not to disrupt the pigmentation on the inside wall of the mantid's abdomen, it can easily rub off.

Once the GI tract is removed, stuff the abdomen with wool to bulk it up to natural volume. If you choose, you can either suture the abdomen closed or some people use a paper tube around the abdomen while the specimen dries. The specimens in the last picture above were all sutured shut with 7-0 Moncryl. 

I use a mixture of water and Windex in the bottom of  the air-tight relaxing chamber. Large specimens need 48 hrs to relax, small ones 24. Specimens can be over-relaxed and turn to mush. Superglue can come in handy in these cases. 

I use powdered desiccant bought from Hobby Lobby. It is meant for drying flowers but works well here. I leave the drying mantids for a few weeks in the airtight desiccant containers before setting them in their final box for display.

 

[mantisman 230]

Um, 20 minutes probably wouldn't do much, I had put a mosmolted adult in the freezer for eight hours and took it out. Started breathing in ten muinutes.

 

[guapoalto049]

Um, 20 minutes probably wouldn't do much, I had put a mosmolted adult in the freezer for eight hours and took it out. Started breathing in ten muinutes.

My apologies, forgot to mention they are kept in an airtight container with nail polish remover in it.  This is done when the mantid is just about dead naturally. I don't like freezing them long because it can make them more brittle.

I've found many mantids outside after the first frost of the year, they're tough as nails.

 

[CosbyArt]

Nice write-up, thanks for sharing.

I've thought of pinning some of mine before, but haven't bothered yet. I always figure it will be like my taxidermy projects, mixed results when finished and with the question of what to do with them afterwards (bug room wall I guess). Amazingly small suture needle, looks like it would be used for arteries or something.

I cringed a bit on the freezer time too, but see you are using a "killing jar" setup too. I know with my freezer at about 15 F I've had a few mismolted nymphs start to move once they were removed after nearly 10 hours in the freezer - so anymore I make sure to do 24+ hours. Perhaps doing a "killing jar" setup as well would be more humane than simply the freezer.

 

[guapoalto049]

Nice write-up, thanks for sharing.

I've thought of pinning some of mine before, but haven't bothered yet. I always figure it will be like my taxidermy projects, mixed results when finished and with the question of what to do with them afterwards (bug room wall I guess). Amazingly small suture needle, looks like it would be used for arteries or something.

I cringed a bit on the freezer time too, but see you are using a "killing jar" setup too. I know with my freezer at about 15 F I've had a few mismolted nymphs start to move once they were removed after nearly 10 hours in the freezer - so anymore I make sure to do 24+ hours. Perhaps doing a "killing jar" setup as well would be more humane than simply the freezer.

Yeah I think it is more for peace of mind by combining a killing jar with the freezer. I really despise that many 'dealers' kill insects simply to pin them, so I'm always reluctant to put them out of their misery too early.

7-0 to be a good strength for the mantids. You're exactly right, it is a good size for closing larger arteries like the carotid. I once tried to use 11-0, which is many many times smaller, but it got too frustrating without loupes to magnify =P

 

[CosbyArt]

Yeah I think it is more for peace of mind by combining a killing jar with the freezer. I really despise that many 'dealers' kill insects simply to pin them, so I'm always reluctant to put them out of their misery too early.

7-0 to be a good strength for the mantids. You're exactly right, it is a good size for closing larger arteries like the carotid. I once tried to use 11-0, which is many many times smaller, but it got too frustrating without loupes to magnify =P

I think I will have to setup one up for the freezer, it would be worthwhile. I'll just have to cheat a bit and use paper towel as I am out of plaster of Paris since my last culture containers used it all up. I understand that especially with personal pets, as I'd rather know it lived out it's life naturally.

It's amazing you can use that one without a loupe, let alone a smaller one. I have a 30x loupe but isn't much help when only one hand is available, so I got some 10x lenses that flip over my glasses for true work. With such small work it seems you would do great on SMD electronic work, a pain I avoid as much as possible.

 

[avn]

Thomas how are you using plaster of Paris  in culture jars?

 

[CosbyArt]

Thomas how are you using plaster of Paris  in culture jars?

Not jars, but containers and in particular plastic shoeboxes. See here in my isopod DIY guide, the plaster of Paris holds fluid and in this case water - which keeps my isopod and millipede tanks nice and humid without having to worry about it drying out. I can go about 2 weeks or more with my isopods without having to worry about water, but I do daily maintenance anyway on them like my mantids. I know the time-frame as they were neglected at one point and were fine.

The plaster of Paris is also used to absorb the killing fluid for killing jars, usually ether/ethyl acetate (nailpolish remover), and can hold a killing "charge" for quite awhile depending on usage. Here is a DIY of a killing jar, and another.