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Alex

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Philadelphia, PA, USA
  • Interests
    I collect, buy and exchange dried beetles. I don't breed any beetles. I'm interested mostly in charismatic species (large, colorful, horns, stags etc).

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  1. Stiff legs is quite a common problem. Yes, you can keep beetles for even 2-3 days in water if needed. Boil water to decrease the chance of mold formation. Wrap your relaxation container in a towel to keep it warm as long as possible. Some entomologist recommend hot mixture of distilled water, ethanol and vinegar in proportions 7:2:1. Such mixture will help softening stiff joints and definitely no mold will form. For very stubborn joints you can use 4-5% white vinegar (table vinegar) for a few hours - up to two days. If you used vinegar be sure to rinse it out several times with boiled water (water doesn't have to be hot, but should be sterilized by boiling).
  2. Which part "almost teared apart", legs? Watch some videos about pinning. Practice on locally caught and cheap beetles first. That's what I did when I re-started my hobby in 2009.
  3. That's an interesting approach, however there is an increased chance to break specimen's legs as they touching the bottom of the box. This is one of the reasons why specimens are "floating" with traditional pinning or most pin-less techniques.
  4. I prefer pin-less mounting for exotic beetles. I pin locally caught beetles/insects and not all of them; they are small or medium size, no problem pinning them. I used to pin my beetles when I started (or rather re-started) my insect collecting and some weevils were very hard to pin. It's not always easy. I remember I had to use several pins for a velvet ant (cow killer) because the pins were getting dull, but eventually it worked. Is your Megasoma well relaxed for pinning? Be sure it is!
  5. 1. Will it be better to put dried beetles into alcohol than hot water for longer preserving? - Dried beetles are usually relaxed by placing them in hot/boiling water for short period of time (< than an hour, up to few hours). If for any reason, like your schedule or very stiff joints in some beetles, you have to relax them longer (e.g. overnight or for a few days), then it's better to add something to water or use 70% alcohol to prevent mold from growing. Also if you suspect any pest contamination you can use alcohol to get rid of pests. Cons of using alcohol - it makes the joints stiffer and it can cause some discoloration. 2. Are there any way to harden dried beetles? - If you mean to harden their elytra, then I am not aware of any. However it seems you mean to harden legs / antennae; maybe you need to handle them a lot for art projects - you can use water and acetone-soluble glues to add some strength to these breakable parts. But there is no perfect solution since the glue might be visible and your specimen can become not presentable. 3. Megasoma Actaeon is too big to pin that my longest pin is not that long to make a space between the box and Actaeon. Any suggestion? The longest (#7) pins should work even for largest beetles. There are also pin-less mounting techniques
  6. Weird post. YOU are looking for a specific flower beetle and WE have to PM you to find out which one it is.
  7. Lots of collectors praise the fields of Arizona and South Texas. I can tell about my experience - I can find more cool bugs in Central Louisiana than in North Louisiana or North-East Texas.
  8. Nice set-up and the insects are spread scientifically (compactly). I'm an amateur enthusiast and prefer spreading them in more showy way, so their legs and antennae can be clearly seen. You might be using too much No-Pest strips. Those are very big pieces. In my experience they are very efficient and you can use much smaller pieces. It would be better for your health too.
  9. I've never used glassine for beetles and rarely saw anyone using it. Beetles are not protected sufficiently in glassine envelopes. Mark, if you are just saving them for later, for yourself and not going to ship those specimens to someone (exchange, sale) the easiest and safest is to store your specimens on layers of cotton. . You can place even fresh, never dried beetles immediately on cotton, close tupperware and store them safely. That's what entomologists do. I'd recommend adding some kind of pest protection to the tupperware. I use no-pest strips; you can buy them from BioQuip, or find at your local Lowes / Home Depot. Mothballs are insect REPELLENTS, they do not KILL parasites that can be present on your specimens. It's also very potent carcinogen and can even cause cataract. No-Pest strips also should be handled carefully. If you go the papering route - several points. Use breathable cellophane (cello-wrap). I found it at Paper Shack or ask florists for some. Most plastics do not allow moisture to escape and you can end up with moldy beetles. Paper beetles when they are still relaxed and not completely dried; otherwise you risk breaking them. If I need to paper a dry specimen that's what I do: 1) Relax a specimen for 1-3 days (depending on size) in a tightly closed relaxing chamber (usually I do not quick-relax beetles by immersing them in water). 2) Position legs / antennae neatly close to the body, let it dry for at least one, better few days, on Styrofoam; use pins. 3) Paper them - cardboard, several layers of paper towel OR some cotton, breathable cellophane wrap. Do not staple too close to the body. Better keep papered beetles in ventilated area for few days. About relaxing with alcohol - 1) it can fade colors for some species; 2) it makes insect joints stiff. Happy collecting! Alex
  10. And never ever pay via Western Union. Anyone who asks to be paid via W.U. is a scammer. W.U. is a good way to transfer money to your relatives, but not for merchandise / services.
  11. Check Coprophanaeus species - lancifer, ensifer, bonariensis.
  12. Very good size for this species!
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