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My 'main' collection looks like this. Lots of small units in 40x50 cm drawers. This drawer hold the genera Mydaea, Helina & Phaonia (Muscidae).

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A single unit looks like this. It is handmade(!) from 0.5 mm thick Vivak plastic sheets. The bottom is styrofoam. The labels were printed on normal office transparencies and glued to the unit with a common gluestick.

The Vivak sheets are actually flat and transparent enough that it is quite possible to examine flies from the side with a stereo microscope without removing them from a unit! We've tought about ways to make also the bottom as transparent, but that seems next to impossible (and the labels would obscure then ventral view in any case )

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i hate foam.
but it seems that is very dry, hence very good to avoid fungi. And it seems that foam doesn?t absorve humidity...

Concerning the kind of boxes, which is better for flies? Or doesn?t matter?

a ) Natural alder
b ) brown impregnated alder (mahogany)
c ) natural pine


The UNIT SYSTEM is the best for flies, is it right?

Do the FORCEPS SOFT helps to push the pin through the body of fly?

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Well, it is handy and uses little space. On the other hand, it is not as beautiful as a well-organised 'traditional' collection with neat little areas reserved for each species which the collector hopes to find. But then again, few fly collections are made for the visual impact, so in the end it doesn't matter much. Feel free to disagree



I have never used them. Flies are pretty soft and you do not really need to push that much

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Jere, I saw in this photo that there are paralelipedic whitish objects pinned... what is that? How much cost each one?

Your box is funny.

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I take a look on this catalogue:
http://www.entosphinx.cz/_CZ/EU/download.htm

Which would you advice to get?

I don?t have any backgrounf for the boxes, and it is important to have a transparent coverage. The most important thing is TO AVOID fungi!

Thank you!

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You mean the micropin stages, I guess. They are pretty cheap. I used to bum scraps of high-density polystyrene from a friend who sells insect drawers and then cut them to pieces myself, but now I buy ready-cut stripes from Vermandel, a Dutch store.

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Jere, your main collection shows an UNIT system. And really, it is not for visual impact. However, I liked the way you use plastic sheets.

It seems that your main collection is covered by a mirror, right? I think that it is important to be very tight so humidity cannot invade the boxes. But...

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yes, that?s it, Jere! It is a pity that this site doesn?t have an English version. Neither they accept card credit.

Can high-density polystyrene be used as background for boxes, right?
But it must be much more expensive..

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Hmm, I have never had any trouble with fungi - but of course I live in a country with a rather cool & dry climate What is troublesome is dermestids. I have had relatively little trouble with them in my current drawers, but to be rule I seal the units with very valuable specimens in zip-lock bags for an additional layer of protection. Again, it does not look nice, but I'd rather have type specimens protected than nicely displayed.

The collection is housed in three cabinets for drawers; one made by a amateur woodworker friend, one bought from the local lepidopterologist society, and one which I had built by an estonian entomologist/woodworker and smuggled to Finland . One black, or white, one in oak. What a mess

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They have photographs of nearly every item. Just point, click, and find out what the stuff is. You may lern some dutch while shopping If I remember correctly, they send you a bill with enough details for making an direct bank transfer. I have used this option and had it worked like a charm.



Yes, it is very good but this purpose. But also very expensive in bulk

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If you keep your pinned flies in trays and keep the trays in relatively air-tight boxes you can keep the flies very dry by using a small amount of Silica Gel in each box. This stuff will absorb an incredible amount of moisture. If you get the "indicating" form you will get a visual cue of when to replenosh it. Blue when still absorbing moisture and red when saturated (I think that's the right order). Silica Gel may seem expensive but it lasts forever, when saturated with moisture simply heat it in a hot oven (400c??) and it will be ready to re-use. A teaspoon amount in a packet will keep a drawer of insects dry if the drawer is reasonably airtight.

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You can use cork instead of foam; cork is the classic pinning base.

You could consider making your own unit trays. Over many years I have made thousands. Start with acid-free white card; decide on the size of tray you want. Cut the card into the square or rectangle you want. Most easily done using a paper cutter (guillotine), or you may be able to get a box-making company to cut the card for you. Don't underestimate the number you will need. Get at least a thousand. Score lines with a sharp scalpel or blade as in the top figure, cut out the corners to get bottom figure; fold up sides and fix in position with tape or sticky labels.
I found it best to do one stage at a time; thus accumulate about 100 rectangles; score the lines on each; cut out the corners on each; fold and stick the sides.
The scoring of the lines is done most efficiently by using a jig; then you simple slide the card in, score one line, rotate the card and score another line etc. etc.
I have forgotten how long it takes to make 1 tray but a morning's work of 4 hours should get you about 100 trays. Then you have to cut the foam/cork and stick it in the bottom of each tray.
Too much like hard work? then I'm afraid you will have to buy unit trays.

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cork! great, we have lots of cork!

You still not finished the other steps. I would like to see the final product, (without and then with your specimens).

The idea about silica gel is great, but here is not easy to find it!

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my first fly pinned: Bombyliidae.

It would be great to have a complete list about what the best way to pinning a particular family.

Dorsal pinning >> Bombyliidae... ...
Pinning at the sides of the thorax >> Tachinidae, Chloropidae, Calliphoridae,...
Glue the fly >> ...

Is true that all flies can be pinned?

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Fold up the sides and stick them
Here is a larger size tray that I cut open especially for you. I have placed a new self-stick label on the front corner, this will fold over the end of the tray side and stick it in the vertical position. I lined my styrofoam with paper. I make the sides of the tray a little bit higher than the length of an insect pin - saves me from acidentally hitting the pin head and damaging the specimen.

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ok. When I read your last post I was in a hurry.

I would like to see your cork drawers. not in paper.

Thank you!

ps change that moth for another thing much more beautiful.

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Using cork is not recommended. It is slightly acidic and with time (a lot of time) your pins will get damaged. It is also pretty hard.

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for bottom of the boxes we can use:

1) stryofoam - more cheaper.
2) itex - can you tell more about this?
3) polystyrene - expensive, and what about his duration?
4) cotton - messy and not pratical..
5) plastazote foam - is it the same as styrofoam?

> I'm considering this : Plastazote foam bottom not glued by paper, glass top (http://www.entosphinx.cz/_CZ/foto/platkrab.JPG) . More cheaper and it can be closed very tightly (I think..)

> For wooden boxes, if I consider one... perhaps it will be in brown impregnated alder (mahogany)

So for keep the flies (before/after) we will need:
* ethyl acetate (to "sleep" the flies -- I read somewhere that is
dangerous to inhalate this chemical! )
* pins (micro and normal - I prefer the black ones.)
* itex, or styrofoam, or... Plastazote foam...
* gross paper (to make the ettiquetes)
* wooden boxes (pinus or alder..), glass top OR plastazote foam bottom
not glued by paper, glass top..
* more later... cabinets - very expensive!
* a pencil or I can print the labels.


anything else? I think that's all!

Thank you.

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