AUTHOR: Debbie Lenz
DATE: September, 2000
SCHOOL/DISTRICT: Oakland Unified, California
INTENDED GRADE LEVELS: 6 thru 12
SUBJECT: life science (classification, anatomy, scientific method)
APPROXIMATE TIME:
collecting bugs: can be done in a day for a simple collection or over many weeks for a more comprehensive collection
identification: 2 class periods
making collections: 2-3 class periods

--GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
This project has three general parts to it: Collecting Bugs, Identification of Bugs, Making Collections.

--MATERIALS (inexpensive vs. expensive):

--COLLECTING BUGS
nets (buy or make your own)
jars (buy or collect your own from home, best are skinny tall jars, baby food jars and other jars good too - punch small air holes in tops of all jars used)
forceps (to pick up bugs)
information on orders of bugs

--IDENTIFICATION
insect anatomy diagram
field guide or citybugs web page
magnifying glass
microscopes
good light

--MAKING COLLECTIONS
kill jars
forceps
ethyl acetate
spreading board
pins
collection box
labels

NETS

COLLECTING (KILLING) JARS

PINS

COLLECTION BOX (SCHMIDT BOX)

MAGNIFYING GLASS & MICROSCOPES

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--PROCEDURE:

1. COLLECTING BUGS

--Introduce the different orders of bugs
--Discuss ethics of killing bugs vs. studying them alive
--Discuss places to look for bugs (school yard, at home, in a nearby park, on a field trip, etc.)
--Demonstrate use of collecting equipment (nets, jars, forceps)
collect bugs (catch bugs with jars, vials or forceps if they don't fly / use nets for bugs in air or to sweep through plants and trees)
--Place bugs in separate small jars or vials with airholes, or in sandwich bags sealed with some air inside
--Store bugs live in freezer until ready to make collections

2. IDENTIFICATION

--Go over basic insect anatomy
--Illustrate how to use a field guide or the citybugs web page to identify bugs
--Use magnifying glass or microscopes to look closely at characteristics of bugs collected
--Make small labels with: scientific name, common name, date collected, and collector, and keep with each bug (entomologists make the really small labels by typing them on a computer in the smallest available font, and then reducing the print out in a photocopier by 50%)

3. MAKING COLLECTIONS

Pour just a bit of ethyl acetate in a selected glass "kill jar" (the purchased kill jars may have a layer of plaster of paris in the bottom to react with the ethyl acetate - this is not required but just makes the effect of the e. acetate last longer).
Crumble up a napkin and put that in the kill jar to give the insect something to sit on rather than soaking in the ethyl acetate at the bottom. Put in one or more insects and close the lid to the jar tightly. Wait until the insect is dead remove the insect(s) from the jar (you can continue to kill all your insects this way), and then begin preparing them for your collection. Pin any hard bodied insects in the center of their abdomen. You also want to pin their label and then pin them in the collection box. Pins can be used to place their legs in appropriate positions for drying (remove those extra pins when the insect is dry). Any soft bodied insects will need to go in alcohol in a small vial because they can not be pinned in a collection box. Butterflies and moths need to be spread and dried before being put in the collection box. To do this you pin the butterfly or moth in the center of its body and then to a spreading board. Next use small paper pieces to pin the wings into an appropriate position ( don't pin through the wings or you will destroy them). Then, pin the pieces of paper tightly to hold the wings in position. When the insect is dry, remove the pins holding the paper on the wings, keeping the pin in the center of they body. Finally, pin the label and transfer your insect to the collection box.