Showing posts with label dark form snout larva. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dark form snout larva. Show all posts

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Preserving Butterfly and Moth Caterpillars

"I am working with a 4-H Entomology group and wondered about the current best method for preserving butterfly or moth caterpillers to exhibit in a collection. Do you know anything about that?"

A researcher wrote recently about some unusual caterpillars I was raising.  When I have extras, I will send him some for his studies and records.  He wrote, "Drop the larva into water just poured from a boiling kettle into a petri dish (jar lid). It will clench then relax elongated dead and fixed. Don’t let it sit in the water but put it into a screw cap vial of rubbing alcohol.”

I haven't tried it yet but he uses this method when he has reason to preserve a caterpillar.



Dark Form American Snout Caterpillar