HOW TO PIN INSECTS #3: PINNING BEES, WASPS, & ANTS

This pinning tutorial is on pinning Hymenopterans.

[@Marleigh24]

this is an awesome channel! i am 13 and I collect insects and hope to become a medical entomologist, studying insects has always been interesting to me and I thoroughly enjoy watching your videos!

[@dailyentomologist4953]

That's awesome, I'm glad you enjoy the videos. My last job was actually working collecting, identifying and testing mosquitoes for diseases so I was in the medical entomology field for a few years.

[@orynguice4056]

I found a dead wasp in my school and i thought id give it a go,thank you for making this tutorial it really helped me!

[@mjsagun8435]

I’m an ant keeper and I find a lot of dead queen ants when I go queen ant hunting so I thought it would be a good idea if I keep them and pin them for my collection so thank you for this video!

[@VictorFursov]

Thank you for video. Best entomological and beekeeping greetings from Ukraine! Best wishes!

[@crimsonrosellas]

Hey this is a bit late but thank you for this video! I'm starting to learn how to pin insects ( only a week in ) and your videos have been really helpful! I got a mud dober I wanna do lol

[@teejayeemcneal2]

I found a dead cuckoo wasp in my house today 😬😬 my first butterfly pin could’ve been better so fingers crossed for this one

[@dailyentomologist4953]

I hope it goes or went well. Cuckoo wasps are amazing.

[@redcrescentmarigold]

so amazing! should i be careful around touching the stingers? ive never pinned a bug before, let alone a wasp!

[@ThrillsofColdplay]

That cuckoo wasp looks very cool with the colors

[@FloridaAnting]

I collect insects that drowned in my pool

[@kekeandelijah5343]

Damn I was hoping it involved not touching it with your hands haha

[@xvampirezzax]

If i have a bee that’s been in a jar for several months now can I still pin it without breaking it? It’s the first time I’m going to do this ever.

[@dailyentomologist4953]

Normally I would recommend putting it in a relaxing chamber to re-hydrate the specimen. But if your unable to do that then if it is a larger specimen you could attempt to pin it...though carefully. If it is a smaller specimen I would actually point it to avoid any breakage from trying to pin through it.

[@elbarenev_]

Hello ! I was wondering how do you moist you hymenopteras to be able to position them easily ? Do you steam them in a box with absorbent paper with droplets ?

[@dailyentomologist4953]

I place them in a regular hydration chamber....a humid airtight container that helps make insects moveable again after drying out

[@GoodlukHelCigar]

What did you use to pierce velvet ant I can’t get anything through his body

[@jackmariner]

I caught a European giant hornet in a cup and was afraid to open it, it’s dead now and I’d like to preserve it. Any tips? Don’t use rubbing alcohol? Can’t find many resources about pinning and preserving that type of hornet. Can I just use any old pin?

[@dailyentomologist4953]

When pinning insects it is best and preferred to use pins made specifically for insects. You can also store it dry like it is and pin at a later date or store it in a vial of alcohol, either ethyl or isopropyl alcohol could work

[@felixbaumgartner5474]

Sorry to bother, I have a question. I have some beetles that I found dead when I was a kid and so they have been in a small box for like 15 years, am I still able to idrate them back to pin them or are they too old? Is there like a limit where they get too old?

[@dailyentomologist4953]

you should be able to rehydrate them no problem....Ive rehydrated specimens that were decades old...there really isnt a limit on too old to rehydrate

[@felixbaumgartner5474]

@@dailyentomologist4953 thank you so much!

[@PrimalRenegade17]

Pin should always be to the right or left (I always go the right) of the midline not directly in the centre otherwise great video

[@firstmatefrankie5371]

I’ve noticed that a lot with different diagrams, is there a specific reason why or is it just easier?

[@PrimalRenegade17]

@@firstmatefrankie5371 its so you always have one side completely undamaged and unobstructed so you don't completely destroy potentially crucial identification features :)

[@firstmatefrankie5371]

@@PrimalRenegade17 ohhhh that makes a lot of sense, thanks for answering :D

[@PrimalRenegade17]

@@firstmatefrankie5371 no worries 😁