Resource created by Vicky Wallace, Kansas 4-H entomology volunteer, with input from Sharon Dobesh, K-State Research and Extension Honey Bee Specialist; Dale Weishaar, Kansas State Fair 4-H Entomology Superintendent; and David and Dana Williams, Sedgwick County 4-H entomology project leaders.

For more information, contact:Vicky Wallace, vicky.wallace55@gmail.comSharon Dobesh, sdobesh@ksu.eduDale Weishaar, dmwheatfarmer@gmail.comDavid and Dana Williams, d_twilliams@hotmail.com

The Kansas 4-H Entomology Collection:

A Project Exhibit

June 2018

I. Display boxesAll collections should be arranged in standard en-

tomology display boxes. Insects should be arranged in columns (preferred) or rows in the box with longest box dimension horizontally. There should not be any “feet” or “legs” under the box. It should be able to sit flat on a table or in display racks.

All specimens should be placed in the collection box in neat columns or rows with the heads of the insects toward the top of the box. Sufficient space between

Insects in standard display boxes. (Purdue University photo) This is not an acceptable display box. (Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

These insects are placed in the display box longest dimension vertically. This is incorrect. The box cannot be put in the display stand correctly. Drop collection one ribbon placing. (Photo by Pam Winegar)

specimens should be allowed so that all insects in the same Order are placed next to each other. To protect insect specimens from carpet beetle larvae, mothballs (or another type of fumigant) should be placed in all four corners of the box.

Exception: collections for the Introductory Phase of Kansas 4-H Entomology may be displayed in one or two pencil boxes, shoe boxes, etc., depending on the county guidelines. 4-Hers in this phase may not exhibit at the Kansas State Fair.

Shoe box. (Getty Images photo) Pencil boxes. All other rules arethe same. (Getty Images photo)

Plexiglass or other acrylic glass

styrofoam backing

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II. Watch for wings not pinnedcorrectly

Forewings are not at a 90-degree angle from body. Hind wings not pulled up high enough. (Wikimedia Commons photo)

Wings drooping down. Pin through body at a slant instead of straight. (Photo from Notes on Collecting and Preserving Natu-ral-History Objects)

Correct pinning of wings on a damselfly. (Photo by David J. Shetlar, Ph.D., The Ohio State University)

Take off points for tattered and damaged wings. (Photo by Linda Marcille)

III. Tattered and damaged wings

Tattered wings on a wasp. (Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

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IV. Wings Spread Correctly

Wings should be spread on Lepidoptera, and on dragonflies and damselflies. These are examples of wings correctly spread. (Photo by David J. Shetlar, Ph.D., The Ohio State University)

Wings not spread. (Ken Slade photo) Wings spread correctly on cicada. (Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

Wings not spread. (Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

Spreading wings is optional on cicadas, praying mantids, dobsonflies, lacewings, owlflies, wasps, and grasshoppers. (Photo by David J. Shetlar, Ph.D., The Ohio State University)

Cicadas

Praying Mantids

Wings spread correctly on praying mantid. (Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

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Wings not spread on male and female Dobsonflies. (Photo by Lyle J. Buss, University of Florida)

Dobsonfly

Wings spread correctly on male Dobsonfly. (Photo by Lyle J. Buss, University of Florida)

Wings can be spread either one of these two ways for wasps. (Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

Wasps

Wings do not have to be spread on a wasp. (Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

Wings SHOULD NOT be spread on beetles. (Photo by Alison Bockoven)

Spreading wings on grasshoppers is optional. Wings can be spread on either the right side or left side or both pairs of wings can be spread. However, whichever is chosen, all grasshoppers with spread wings should be spread on the same side (example all specimens with spread wings are spread on the left side). (Credits: left, David J. Shetlar, Ph.D., The Ohio State University; middle and right, Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

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Grasshoppers

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V. Missing or broken legs or antennae.

Walking stick missing leg and antennae. (Photo by Fred Baker) Roach missing leg. (Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

Cranefly missing leg. (Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE) Modest katydid missing leg. (Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

Broken antennae. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey, University of California Ag and Natural Resources)

Wasp missing antennae and leg. (Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

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VI. Immature insects are not allowed.

Immature katydid. (Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)Immature grasshoppers. (Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

Immature Squash Bug. (Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

Immature dragonfly. (Photo by Alison Bockoven)

Immature roach. (Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

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VII. Proper pin placement.

Illustrations of where the insect pin should be placed. (Credits: Illustrations at left courtesy David J. Shetlar, Ph.D., The Ohio State University; illustration at left courtesy BugwoodWiki)

Examples of wasps, flies and bee with proper pin placement. (Credits: left, Making an Insect Collection, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension; middle and right, David J. Shetlar, Ph.D., The Ohio State University)

Examples of insects in the Order Hemiptera with proper pin placement. (Credits: top left, David J. Shetlar, Ph.D., The Ohio State University; top center, Texas A&M study list for 4-H entomology projects; top right, Kansas Dept. of Agriculture; bottom left, Kansas State University)

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Examples of correct pin placement for Orthoptera. Credits: left, Making an Insect Collection, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension; center, courtesy David J. Shetlar, Ph.D., The Ohio State University)

Examples of correct pin placement for Beetles. (Photos courtesy David J. Shetlar, Ph.D., The Ohio State University)

Examples of correct pin placement for Lepidoptera. (Credits: left, David J. Shetlar, Ph.D., The Ohio State University; center, Allison Bockoven; right, David J. Shetlar, Ph.D.)

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Examples of correct pin placement for dragonflies and damselflies.(Photo by David J. Shetlar, Ph.D., The Ohio State University)

Earwigs are pinned through the right wing cover. (Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

Proper pinning on a point. (Preservation and Curation of Insects, BugwoodWiki)

Insects pinned on points: Insect pin should go through the wide end of the point; all points in the collection should be on the same side of the pin (either left side or

right side) with head of insect pointing toward the top of the box.

Pin should be through the right wing cover not the thorax on a beetle. (Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

Butterfly too low on pin. (Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

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VIII. Use of vialsSoft bodied insects should be placed in rubbing alcohol

in vials. Examples of insects done this way are lice, termites, fleas, aphids, etc. Mayflies should be pinned. Stoneflies are optional - they can be pinned or put in vials. Vials should be kept to a minimum because if they

come loose and go rolling in the box, they can cause a lot of damage.

Vials should be secured in the box with insect pins crossed in an “X” neatly over the top of the vial in two places and a pin in front and in back of the vial. You can use a piece of double stick tape underneath the vial to help secure it.

Vial with screw on lid.Vials should have either good cork or screw lids or poly stoppers. (Getty Images photo)

All vials should be facing the same direction in the collection. The labels may be placed inside the vial or on a pin beside it, but all labels should be in the same place throughout the collection. (Photo courtesy Heather Woodie)

IX. Labels on insectsKansas 4-H guidelines require two labels on the

insect pin below the insect. The label closest to the insect is the Common Name label. It should have the Common Name of the insect on it. The bottom label is the Date/Locality label and should have the full name of the county the insect was caught in and state abbreviation and the month, day and year it was caught.

All Common Name labels should be the same size and use the same size font (Uniformity). All Date/Locality labels should be the same size and use the same size font. However, the two types of labels may be different sizes. In many cases the Common Name label is larger than the Date/Locality label. Hand-printed labels are acceptable as long as they are neat, readable, and the same size. If labels are hand printed, all of them should be hand printed. If labels are done on the computer, all of them should be done on the computer. There should not be a mixture of hand-printed and computer labels. If pencil is used to hand print labels,

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all should be in pencil; do not use a mixture of ink and pencil printing. If ink is used, all labels should be printed in the same color of ink — not a mixture of black and blue or all colors of the rainbow. Font should be big enough to read. The type of insect should be included on the Common Name label (Example: Green Darner Dragonfly, not just Green Darner; or Cicada Killer Wasp, not Cicada Killer).

Green DarnerDragon�y

ForestBumble Bee

Pawnee Co. Ks.10-20-1960

Vicky Wallace

Lake Co. Co. 07/20/2015

Examples of labels that meet guidelines.

Examples of labels that do not meet guidelines.

An Order label should be placed above each group of insects in that order. This label may be edged with a colored label as long as the label does not become too large and as long as the color does not detract from the collection. Family labels may also be edged with the same color or a complementary color. Order and Family labels should be pinned flat against the bottom of the box.

Using multiple colors detracts from the insect collection and points should be deducted for too much color; neon colors are too bright and take the eye away from the insects.

Some exhibitors put a colored cloth over the styrofoam base. This is acceptable as long as it it not too bright. It should not detract from the display of insects. However, this is optional - it is not required and points should not be deducted from collections that do not have the base covered.

As much as possible, all the Common Name labels should be the same height on the pin across the box. The Date/Locality labels also should be the same height on the pin across the box. Labels should be straight and not turned or tilted on the pin. You may not be able to see labels under the big butterflies and moths.

Unacceptable: Labels twisted and crooked; Common Name labels and Date/Locality labels at different heights. Order labels not pinned to the bottom of the box.

Common Name labels and Date/Locality labels (right) should all be turned the same direction. They may be turned crosswise at a horizontal to the insect on

GreenDarner

Pawnee C. Ks.USA

10-20-1960Vicky Wallace

Green Darner Ph. Co. Ks.10-20-1960

An example of an excellent display with clear, consistent labels.(Photo provided by Purdue University College of Agriculture)

Horizontal labels (left) and vertical labels (right).(Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

the pin or vertical on the pin in the same direction as the insect. Either is acceptable, but all labels should be turned the same direction.

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X. Display box labelsEach exhibitor is required to identify each display

box by placing an identification label bearing exhibitor’s name, county or district, class, number of orders and number of specimens. For Intermediate and Advanced collections, the number of families must also be on this label. One label goes in the upper left corner of the box (inside) and the other on the lower right corner of the box (outside). Arrange specimens in the box so it can be displayed lengthwise.

Plexiglass or other acrylic glass is now required for exhibit of 4-H Entomology Collections.

Proper inside label for display box.(Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

Dimensions and requirement for an insect display box. (From K-State Research and Extension; Tips on Exhibiting Your Insect Collection)

Plexiglass

Styrofoam cut to fit snuglyin bottom of box

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XI. Watch for commonly misidentifiedinsects

House fly (left) often confused with stable fly (right). (Credits: left, K-State Research and Extension; right, Scott McMillan)

Honey bee (Photo by iNaturalist) Digger bees (Credits: left, Peter Bryant, University of California-Ir-vine; right, iNaturalist)

Bee fly (Photo courtesy Howard Cheek Photography)Hover fly (photo by Alvesgaspar)

Honey bees are often confused with bee flies and hover flies and visa versa.

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Ground beetle (Photo by Robert Lord Zimlich)

The ground beetle is often misidentified as a stag beetle. Note the differences in antennae from the stag beetle on the right.

Stag beetle — male (Photo by Patrick Coin)

Net-winged beetles often confused with lichen moths (images below).*Note segments in beetle antennae much more visible and scales on moth wings.

Lichen moth (Photo by Ted Lee Eubank)

Ichneumon wasps often mistaken for mosquitoes. (Photo courtesy Queensland Museum)

Mosquito (Photo by James Gathany/CDC)

Net-winged beetle (Photo by Tom Murray)

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Crane fly (Photo by Ciar) Crane fly (Photo by PiccoloNamek)

Crane flies are often mistaken for “giant” mosquitoes.

Sawflies often misidentified as flies. Sawflies belong to Hymenoptera, not Diptera.

Watch for “true bugs” and immature stink bugs in Coleoptera.

Check for hover flies and robber flies in Hymenop-tera.

Check for antlions and owlflies in Odonata.Check small insects in vials to make sure that they are

at least in the correct order.

XII. Visually attractive displayInsects should be arranged in the box so that the

space is filled up and balanced. There should not be big unused spaces.

An insect collection featuring dragonflies. (Photo by Greg Ayls-worth)

Poor use of space; insects turned different directions. (Photo by Alison Bockoven)

This display has large blank spaces. (Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

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These collections are nicely balanced and visually attractive. (Photo by Vicky Wallace for KSRE)

Remember, the object of an entomology collection is to is to emphasize the insect specimens. It is a “scientific, educational” display. It is not a creative “craft or scrapbook” type display.

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Photo Credits

Page Image Source

pg 1 Display Box http://entomology.k-state.edu/doc/4-h-collections/exhibit2.pdf

pg 1 display boxes on stand https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/4hyouth/images/competition2.jpg

pg 1 unacceptable display box photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair

pg 1 display box with longest dimension vertically - 2 large beetles in middle

Pam Winegar, https://naturetime.wordpress.com/2012/08/15/insect-museum-and-live-insect-zoo/

pg 1 shoe box Getty Images photo; GettyImages-122206303, author windujedi

pg 1 pencil boxes Getty Images photo; GettyImages-503567628, author sunstock

pg 2 luna moth Wikimedia Commons; Kugamazog~commonswiki

pg 2 wings drooping Figure 21_22, The Project Gutenberg EBook of Notes on Collecting and Preserv-ing Natural-History Objects, by J. E. Taylor, et al.

pg 2 damselfly Photo courtesy David J. Shetlar, PhD (the BugDoc), Professor of Urban Landscape Entomology, The Ohio State University.

pg 2 butterfly with tattered wings

pg 2 Wasp with tattered wings

Photo courtesy Linda Marcille. http://brattleboro-muse.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-butterfly-saved-me-from-drowning.html

photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair

pg 3 Monarch butterfly Photo courtesy David J. Shetlar, PhD (the BugDoc), Professor of Urban Landscape Entomology, The Ohio State University.

pg 3 damselfly Photo courtesy David J. Shetlar, PhD (the BugDoc), Professor of Urban Landscape Entomology, The Ohio State University.

pg 3 cicada - wings not spreaad Photo by Ken Slade, https://www.flickr.com/photos/texaseagle/3775567598/. Used under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 license.

pg 3 cicada - wings spread

pg 3 mantid - wings not spread

pg 3 Mantid - wings spread

photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair KSRE

photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair KSRE

photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair

pg 4 Male & female Dobsonfly Photo courtesy Lyle J. Buss, Insect Identification Lab, University of Florida, http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/eastern_dobsonfly.htm

pg 4 Dobsonfly - wings spread Photo courtesy Lyle J. Buss, Insect Identification Lab, University of Florida, http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/eastern_dobsonfly.htm

pg 4 Wasp, wings spread

pg 4 Wasp, wings not spread

photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair KSRE

photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair

pg 4 Box of beetles Photo courtesy Alison Bockoven (aab13@tamu.edu).https://6legs2many.wordpress.com/techniques/tools-for-insect-collecting/

pg 4 pinned orthoptera Photo courtesy David J. Shetlar, PhD (the BugDoc), Professor of Urban Landscape Entomology, The Ohio State University.

pg 4 grasshopper - wings spread left photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair

pg 4 grasshoppers - wings spread right

photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair

pg 5 walkingstick Photo courtesy Fred Baker. http://ghost32writer.com/?p=7315

pg 5 roach missing leg photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair

pg 5 crane fly missing leg photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair

pg 5 modest katydid missing leg photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair

pg 5 beetle Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey, Ag & Natural Resources, University of California, http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1214

pg 5 wasp missing antennae and leg photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair

pg 6 Immature grasshoppers photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair

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Page Image Source

pg 6 Immature katydid photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair

pg 6 Immature roach photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair

pg 6 Immature squash bug photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair

pg 6 Immature dragonfly Photo courtesy Alison Bockoven (aab13@tamu.edu).https://6legs2many.wordpress.com/tag/dragonflies/

pg 7 Pin placement, left Illustrations courtesy David J. Shetlar, PhD (the BugDoc), Professor of Urban Landscape Entomology, The Ohio State University.

pg 7 Pin placement, right Illustration from http://wiki.bugwood.org/Preservation

pg 7 pinned bee illustration Making an Insect Collection, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension, http://www.uaex.edu/publications/pdf/mp-83.pdf

pg 7 face fly dorsal Photo courtesy David J. Shetlar, PhD (the BugDoc), Professor of Urban Landscape Entomology, The Ohio State University.

pg 7 bee Photo courtesy David J. Shetlar, PhD (the BugDoc), Professor of Urban Landscape Entomology, The Ohio State University.

pg 7 stink bug illustration Photo courtesy David J. Shetlar, PhD (the BugDoc), Professor of Urban Landscape Entomology, The Ohio State University.

Pg 7 green stink bug From the online study list of common insects in Texas — for 4-H entomology contests: http://bug.tamu.edu/youth/4h/Common/html_species/pinned/taxal-ist3/Hemiptera/heteroptera/green_stink_bug.html

pg 7 electric light bug Kansas Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.orghttp://www.ipmimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=5512032licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License.

Pg 7 Leaffooted Bug http://www.k-state.edu/ID/ParticipatoryDesignofaFutureDigitalEntomologyLab/ParticipatoryDesignofaFutureDigitalEntomologyLab_print.html

pg 8 pinned grasshopper Making an Insect Collection, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension, http://www.uaex.edu/publications/pdf/mp-83.pdf

pg 8 pinned grasshopper photo Photo courtesy David J. Shetlar, PhD (the BugDoc), Professor of Urban Landscape Entomology, The Ohio State University.

pg 8 pinned beetle illustration Courtesy David J. Shetlar, PhD (the BugDoc), Professor of Urban Landscape Ento-mology, The Ohio State University.

pg 8 hickory borer Photo courtesy David J. Shetlar, PhD (the BugDoc), Professor of Urban Landscape Entomology, The Ohio State University.

pg 8 pinned butterfly Courtesy David J. Shetlar, PhD (the BugDoc), Professor of Urban Landscape Ento-mology, The Ohio State University.

pg 8 pinned tiger moth Photo courtesy Alison Bockoven (aab13@tamu.edu). https://6legs2many.wordpress.com/techniques/spreading-insect-wings/

pg 8 pinned monarch Courtesy David J. Shetlar, PhD (the BugDoc), Professor of Urban Landscape Ento-mology, The Ohio State University.

pg 9 damselfly Courtesy David J. Shetlar, PhD (the BugDoc), Professor of Urban Landscape Ento-mology, The Ohio State University.

pg 9 earwig properly pinned photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair

pg 9 proper pinning Based on work by Michael L. Ferro and Matt Bertone., Preservation and Curation of Insects, as found on the BugwoodWiki.http://wiki.bugwood.org/Preservation

pg 9 earwig photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair

pg 9 butterfly low on pin photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair

pg 9 beetle improperly pinned photo by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair

pg 10 vials w/cork Getty Images photo; GettyImages-179001089, author designsstock

pg 10 vials in boxes Photo by Heather Woodie, http://blogshewrote.org/2014/07/25/tips-excel-lent-insect-display/

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Page Image Source

pg 11 insect display Photo provided by Purdue University College of Agriculture

pg 11 horizontal and vertical labels photos by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair

pg 11 box inside label photos by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair

pg 12 display box http://entomology.k-state.edu/doc/4-h-collections/exhibit2.pdf

pg 13 house fly K-State Research and Extension

pg 13 stable fly Photo by Arthur Scott McMillan, bugguide.net; http://bugguide.net/node/view/155279; Creative Commons license

pg 13 honey bee Photo by iNaturalist; http://bugguide.net/node/view/323120

pg 13 digger bee (left) Photo by Peter Bryant, University of California-Irvine.http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/hymenopt/Melissodes.htm

pg 13 digger bee (right) Photo by iNaturalist; http://bugguide.net/node/view/315879/bgimage

pg 13 hover fly By Alvesgaspar - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3441363

pg 13 bee fly Photo by Howard Cheek Photography. http://howardcheek.photoshelter.com/image/I0000lXehUiQZG6s

pg 13 ground beetle Photo by Robert Lord Zimlich, http://bugguide.net/node/view/853519

pg 13 stag beetle (male) Photo by Patrick Coin. https://www.flickr.com/photos/42264328@N00/1437579613

pg 14 net-winged beetle Photo by Tom Murray; http://bugguide.net/node/view/541825/bgpage

pg 14 lichen moth Photo by Ted Lee Eubank, Fermata Inc.http://www.fermatainc.com/?page_id=3448

pg 14 ichneumon wasp Photo courtesy of Queensland Museum. http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/ Find+out+about/Animals+of+Queensland/Insects/Wasps+and+bees#.V0Rmt-GNfJJshttp://www.qm.qld.gov.au/Footer/Copyright#.V0RmnGNfJJs

pg 14 mosquito By James Gathany/CDC - This media comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Public Health Image Library (PHIL), with identification num-ber #4487. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

pg 15 crane fly Photo by Ciar, Wikimedia Commonshttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AMale_crane_fly.JPG I, the copyright holder of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide.

pg 15 crane fly By PiccoloNamek (English wikipedia) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commonshttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CraneFly.jpg

pg 15 Insect collection, dragonflies Photo by Greg Aylsworth; Ohio Sea GrantCreative Commons 2.0 Licensehttps://www.flickr.com/photos/ohioseagrant/7658325496/in/photolist

pg 15 Insect collection, top Photo courtesy Alison Bockoven (aab13@tamu.edu).https://6legs2many.wordpress.com/techniques/tools-for-insect-collecting/

pg 15 Insect collection, bottom

pg 16 good collection

photos by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair KSRE

photos by Vicky Wallace; taken at 2016 Kansas State Fair