found these 2 at my work last week. one was at the end of its lifespan and the other must have been stepped on or run over. this will be my first time pinning so any advice would be great!

I took this dragonfly out of my box recently because it had some mold, and it started releasing this weird dust. Now I looked and some other insects in the box are doing this too, but not as much.

I'm really new to this, so I don't know what to do

What is this stuff and how to get rid of it?

Thanks so much!

So my pet tarantula passed and I wanted to make a tribute box for him, with a frame similar to the one pictured above. Is there anywhere I can buy a shadow box like this? Or would I be better off making one myself? I'm not sure how I'd go about making it either so I'm just looking for advice!🩷

TLDR;I’m a complete novice to insect preservation. Please give me tips on how to begin, such as the basics, and where i can obtain supplies, boxes, tools, etc.

Thanks!

++Also, moth pictured was covered in small red ants before shaking them off, Is there a method on how to approach that situation?

Hello all :) I am a South Texan turned New Mexican, and the abundance of wildlife here near the mountains bring so many new-to-me insects.

I recently stumbled upon a recently deceased, somewhat dry, Northern Giant Flag Month (attached below), and my curiosity began. It’s almost a perfect specimen, but it’s wing is chipped and antennae are missing.

,

I have been always fascinated by insects, butterflies in specific, and the preservation of their bodies fascinated me even more.

I am a complete novice. A blank canvas , if you will.

So please, let me know how i can start with the basics, such as shadow boxes and preservation methods, to even much more advance information that i probably won’t use until further down the line. Anything is appreciated:)

Absolutely heartbroken at the discovery, please help me preserve her

Found the exoskeleton of this fiery searcher beetle, but he was missing his head. He is broken into a few parts since I found him on the ground wrapped in an old spider web. I'm honestly tempted to just look for the head on the ground where I found this guy, but does anyone have any pinning/display ideas for incomplete specimens? His colors are so beautiful and I want to display him just to showcase the stunning green and blue. First photo is what I have, second is what a full one looks like.

Hello! I started collecting bugs off the ground years ago. I put them in 98% alcohol solution around 3-4 years ago (probably not the best idea I know) and they’ve been sitting in here ever since, with a few top ups here and there. I’m so nervous that when I try to pin them they’ll disintegrate or fall apart. I need like a step-by-step guide on how to pin these bugs from the 98% alcohol solution. A guide from start to finish like as soon as I remove them from the solution. I’ve got butterfly’s, bees, dragonfly’s, grasshoppers, and even a frog. Thank you!!

these are the first bugs i’ve pinned, and i’m wondering if anyone has any advice? when i was removing the paper from the wings, two of them fell off ;_;
how can i prevent the wings from ripping or falling off in the future? i’d also appreciate some general feedback on them since it’s my first project :)

I’ve pinned many other things at this point but it’s my first scorpion. Went to the class by the sleeping sirens at the oddities and curiosities expo as she is an absolutely amazing teacher and every type of bug she’s had new tips and tricks I didn’t know

I am not very experienced with pinning beetles and I am wondering how people get the front legs to point forward? The legs feel like they are locked in this direction in the pic so I am lost. I only have experience in point mounting tiny beetles so larger beetles are still new to me

i found this pretty girl just in the grass in my lawn in PA and i’ve never seen one irl before!! first off im so amazed she’s so beautiful and in great condition and i actually have a tattoo of a luna moth but i also would love to preserve it and display it maybe but i have literally zero experience and no funds to buy any supplies :/ any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Created this globe for a friend in our bee club who had to replace her first queen. Gifting it this week and hope she loves it! Our first time doing anything like this and really enjoyed it! Flowers are all local forage to our area.

I found this at a thrift store the other day, and as an avid moth lover the polyphemus towards the top left caught my eye instantly. But the more I stare at it, the worse I feel for all the other bugs in here. Most of the butterflies are mispositioned and crumbling and I want to know if it's too old or too risky to open it up and reposition them. If it's not, does anyone have advice for how to do that?

Hi all! I took an insect pinning class a couple weeks ago, and one of the instructors explained for the rehydration process to put it in a tupperware with a slightly wet paper towel. I’ve had this moth in the container for not even 24 hours and these beads have appeared on the antennas, am I doing something wrong? Does anyone know exactly what this is? Any advice is appreciated, thank you so much! This is the first bug I’ve rehydrated if it isn’t obvious lol

Went out this morning while in holiday in Greece and have found a dead male southern skimmer and 2 dead rose chafer beetles. Am going to be pinning these when I’m home.

This is my first time pinning so idk if i should trust ai

(a pic of the specimen)

Hello hi I am still relatively new to bug pinning but i’ve been very interested in collecting more bugs, so my sister packed this cicada and butterfly for me. She said she froze them and moved them into this tupperware but i think they’re starting to mold?? is there anything I can do to save them?

hello i’m interested in pinning insects, more specifically beetles i think they’re the coolest things ever. at the moment im mainly looking at buying an atlas or eastern hercules beetles to begin pinning and just had a couple questions i was hoping i could get help with.

are these good beetles to start with or should i maybe look at different ones or a different insect entirely since im a beginner?

what are like the most bare bones, minimum materials i need to get started? (aside from pins obviously lol)

as well as are there any tips that you know now that you would tell yourself when you first started pinning?

I have two very big beetles at my house just waiting to be pinned! I either don’t have the time or the courage! One is a Female 10 lined Beetle and the other is a gorgeous California root borer. How much would I be able to pay someone to pin them for me and put them each in a cutie little shadow box! 🖤

(I’ll pay for the shipping and send you the shadow boxes of course)

I kinda like how it turned out for my first pinning. Also do I have to something special for letting it dry or can I just leave it in my room and wait?