1. Home
  2. Pests, weeds and diseases
  3. Insects

Collecting and Preserving Insects

Collecting insects can be a fun hobby, and is also an important step in IPM. The resources in this collection will help you learn how to find and collect insects and arthropods, then prepare them so that they can be useful for identification and research efforts.

Collecting insects and related arthoropods

Detailed instructions on collecting insects for a specimen collection.

Silvia I. Rondon, Mary Corp | Jan 2010 | Article

Collecting Insects: Tools and Supplies

Oregon State University Extension entomologist Silvia Rondon discusses the tools and supplies needed to start an insect collection.

Silvia I. Rondon | Jul 2011 | Video

Collecting Insects with Traps and Lights

Oregon State University Extension entomologist Silvia Rondon shows how to use pit fall traps and lights to collect insects.

Silvia I. Rondon | Jul 2011 | Video

Using a Wing Trap

Demonstration of how to assemble a paper wing trap to monitor insects. Wing traps are baited with a pheromone lure that attracts a certain species of interest.

Jessica Green | May 2013 | Video

Using a beat sheet

Oregon State University Extension entomologist Silvia Rondon demonstrates this insect sampling tool.

Silvia I. Rondon | Jul 2011 | Video

Sweep Net Technique

Demonstration of how to use a sweep net to collect insects.

Silvia I. Rondon, Mary Corp | Jul 2011 | Video

Preserving insects and related arthropods

Learn to select the proper methods of preservation for your insect collection. Methods and materials depend on the type of insect and the purpose and size of the collection.

Mary Corp, Silvia I. Rondon | Jun 2016 | Article

Pinning and labeling insects

The proper way to pin an insect depends on the type of insect that you have collected. ALERT! soft-bodied insects such as scales, caterpillars, mayflies, silverfish and others cannot be pinned. Learn the 15 steps to pinning butterflies and moths.

Silvia I. Rondon, Mary Corp | Feb 2010 | Article Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Pinning Small Insects

Oregon State University Extension entomologist Silvia Rondon shows how to pin small insects in a collection.

Silvia I. Rondon | Jul 2011 | Video

Pinning Large Insects

Oregon State University Extension entomologist Silvia Rondon demonstrates how to pin large insects, another step in creating an insect collection.

Silvia I. Rondon | Jul 2011 | Video

Pinning Butterflies and Moths

Oregon State University Extension entomologist Silvia Rondon shows how to pin butterflies and moths for an insect collection.

Silvia I. Rondon | Jul 2011 | Video

Insect Labeling

Oregon State University Extension's Mary Corp explains the importance of labeling insects in a collection and how to do it.

Mary Corp | Jul 2011 | Video

How to pin insects

These Purdue University Extension videos show how to pin: a ground beetle, damselfly, silkworm moth, hornworm moth.

Purdue University Extension | Jan 2024 | Online resource

Essential material needed for storing and displaying insects

Learn about storage boxes, insect pins, storage racks, spreading boards, point punches and other tips.

Silvia I. Rondon, Mary Corp | Jan 2010 | Article

Also see this related Extension Catalog publication: Identifying Insects and Arthropods in Oregon.

Dec 2018
Authors
Silvia I. Rondon
(Former)
Mary Corp
Director (Former)
Want to learn more about this topic? Explore more resources from OSU Extension: Insects

Was this page helpful?

Related Content from OSU Extension

Comparing the effectiveness of pesticides in controlling thrips in dry bulb onions

Onion growers in Treasure Valley have faced difficulties in controlling thrips. One of the problems is resistance to commonly used insecticides. Researchers conducted tests to find the most effective insecticides.

Lynn Jensen | Jul 2010 | Article Peer reviewed (Gray level)

OSU educates growers about invasive, fruit-damaging fly

Continuing study is leading to targeted approaches that allow producers to bring crops to market while reducing pesticide use

Vaughn Walton | Jun 2021 | Impact story

Critter corner

A collection of information relating to the critters we find in our gardens, from flies to wireworms.

Jul 2018 | Collection

Don’t worry, maggots help break down compost pile

Soldier fly larvae are voracious consumers of high nitrogen materials such as kitchen food scraps and manures, as they decay.

Kym Pokorny | Aug 19, 2022 | News story

Northern giant hornet still far from Oregon

The invasive hornet is a concern and residents are encouraged to keep an eye out for the hornet and report possible sightings.

Kym Pokorny | Mar 10, 2021 | News story

What's the buzz in school gardens? Part 1

Join us as for a fascinating interview with one of the world’s foremost authorities on bees and pollination - Andony Melanthopoulos with Oregon State University. We're talking about how bees fit into the world of school gardens! This is part one of a two-part series.

Michelle Markesteyn, PhD, MSEL, Rick Sherman | Jun 2024 | Podcast episode Peer reviewed (Gray level)

How to Manage Your Forest - Module 2: Management Practices

Learn practical, research-based skills and techniques covering a wide array of valuable forest management topics that will help you achieve your goals and objectives.

Bob Parker, Steve Bowers, Tristan Huff, Stephen Fitzgerald, Paul Adams, Paul Oester, Dave Shaw, Fran Cafferata Coe, Julie Woodward, Nicole Strong | May 2018 | Video Peer reviewed (Gray level)

How to Manage Your Forest - Module 1: Silviculture

Our first online training module covers Silviculture, or the art and science of managing forests to achieve your objectives, with nine sections to view.

Glenn Ahrens, Bob Parker, Paul Oester, Stephen Fitzgerald | May 2018 | Video Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Scouting and collecting Wheat Head Armyworms

What growers can do to scout for and help identify wheathead armyworms.

Mary Corp | Oct 2008 | Article

Russian Wheat Aphid

What your rolled-up wheat leaves mean.

Mary Corp | Oct 2011 | Article

New OSU volunteer program tackles statewide native bee inventory

The Master Melittologist program intensively trains volunteers on the meticulous work of locating and cataloging the bees that no one has seen before.

Kym Pokorny | Dec 18, 2020 | News story

Tackling Potato Virus Y

Oregon State University research on Potato Virus Y in potato production in the Pacific Northwest and worldwide uses biotechnology tools like CRISPR to study genes associated with the defenses of potato to the virus.

Aymeric Goyer, Max Combest | Oct 2019 | Video Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Vegetarians, Predators and Parasitoids: Lesser-Known Wasps of Oregon

Wasps are more diverse and ecologically important than most people realize. Learn about the fascinating world of lesser-known wasps.

Tucker D. Hoffman, Scott R. Mitchell, Sandy DeBano, Christopher Adams, David Wooster | May 2024 | Extension Catalog publication Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Integrating Integrated Pest Management

Insects, weeds and plant pathogens are problems that confront farmers in trying to grow a successful crop. Insect pests can defoliate crop plants. Weeds can outcompete crops for light, water and nutrients. Pathogens can cause disease epidemics that destroy entire crops.

Silvia I. Rondon, Mary Corp, Stephen M. Van Vleet, Stuart Reitz, Pamela Hutchinson | Jul 2015 | Video

Pest Scene Investigator: A Training Curriculum

This curriculum is a resource for Extension foresters, educators, natural resource professionals, landowners, and others wishing to increase their ability to assess and mitigate forest health situations. This curriculum ...

Nicole Strong, Paul T. Oester, David C. Shaw, Brandy Saffell, Tiffany Hopkins, Carrie Berger | Mar 2017 | Extension Catalog publication Peer reviewed (Orange level)

OSU study will provide insight into optimal nutrition for bees

The team hopes to improve bee nutrition by building a database of macro and micronutrients found in the flowering plants used in the study.

Kym Pokorny | Jul 26, 2021 | News story

Answers to three common compost problems

If treated right, billions of microorganisms turn garden debris into black gold.

Kym Pokorny | Aug 27, 2018 | News story

New Extension website helps solve pest and disease problems

Solve Pest and Weed Problems focuses specifically on the Pacific Northwest and prioritizes low-risk approaches.

Kym Pokorny | Nov 11, 2022 | News story

Ask Extension

Have a question? Ask Extension!

Ask Extension is a way for you to get answers from the Oregon State University Extension Service. We have experts in family and health, community development, food and agriculture, coastal issues, forestry, programs for young people, and gardening.

Ask us a question