Preparing Dry Specimens for Mounting

Any dry insect that is to be pinned must be relaxed, that is, remoistened enough to soften so that it will not break when the pin is inserted or so that parts of the specimen may be rearranged or repositioned. Insects, especially Lepidoptera, that are to have their wings spread should be relaxed even if they have been killed for only a short time.

The muscles of Lepidoptera, once the stiffening of rigor mortis sets in, which occurs in a matter of minutes, are strong enough so that adjustment of the wings is difficult, but treatment in a relaxing chamber usually will make this procedure much easier. Eight hours in a relaxing chamber should suffice, but larger specimens may require 24 hours or more. Simply leaving specimens in a cyanide jar for awhile sometimes will relax them, but this method is not reliable