FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Literally, they are puzzles. I had a paper wasp for a month or so. It dried and I wanted to pin it. I putted it inside a bottle cap. Then I putted the cap in a small container with some wet paper towels and I waited for it to be more flexible. This method is called relaxing. I waited just for 1 day and the wasp looked flexible. But when I started handling it it was falling apart. So now I have to glue everything back. If someone has experience with the relaxing method please tell me what should I do and what I shouldn’t do.

It sounds like the specimen decomposed during drying process (took too long) so it falls apart when you add moisture to it (happened to lots of specimens I found dead on floor). Moisture is the enemy of your specimen so they have to go quick. When relaxing specimen its usually done by submerging them in hot water/rubbing alcohol mix to soften and sanitize, then you pin the insect on a styrofoam board and send them into the drying box immediately. you can dry the specimen under light bulbs that generate heat and ideally heat the insect to 122F. The box is easy to DIY with styrofoam.

Thanks for the help! It seems logical that the wasp decomposed because it drowned in S.purpurea so bacteria probably did this. Today I checked the small stink bug that I putted in the relaxing container. It was good. I tried to move its legs but they were stiff. Then they made a snapping noise and they were flexible. Unfortunately when I tried to pin it there was a lot of force and 2 legs broke off. But that’s ok because I can glue them back. Two questions. How long do I submerge it? How can I catch insects without getting stung or bitten?

I probably understood how my container works. I have to put the insects in it for a few hours. After that I check their antennas. If they are flexible but the legs are stiff, then it is ready. Then I move the legs until they make a snapping noise. Then they become flexible and they don’t fall apart easily. I did this with the yellow jacket queen and it was successful. No broken pieces or other problems. The only bad thing is that her abdomen has shrunk and faded over the time and see doesn’t look like a queen. But the outline of her label will be red instead of the regular black so I will know that she is a queen.

Barlapipas 6 wrote:Thanks for the help! It seems logical that the wasp decomposed because it drowned in S.purpurea so bacteria probably did this. Today I checked the small stink bug that I putted in the relaxing container. It was good. I tried to move its legs but they were stiff. Then they made a snapping noise and they were flexible. Unfortunately when I tried to pin it there was a lot of force and 2 legs broke off. But that’s ok because I can glue them back. Two questions. How long do I submerge it? How can I catch insects without getting stung or bitten?

The safest way would be to not use your hand if you don’t know exactly what you are handling. Some seemingly harmless little guys such as rove beetles can pack a surprising punch (dreadful experience)! Use tweezers or direct capture with container. You submerge them in hot water until they are flexible. Each one will be different so you have to judge by experience. Broken legs can be fixed with super glue once properly dried.

That’s why I keep searching until I find at least in what genus the bug belongs. In this winter my VFTs were probably infested with rove beetles ( they probably ate springtails ). I first saw one and I tried to catch it with tweezers but it got away and the other one I saw was when I submerged my VFTs in water to get rid of spider mites. It was drowning so I trapped it in a container and then released it on my desk ( bad decision ). Then I tried to take photos and it tried to fly. Then I smashed it with the cap of the container. Thankfully I was totally fine after. I have heard and seen that rove beetles have a toxin that causes you nasty blisters and even worse the skin can turn dead black. How was your experience with rove beetles?