leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Nov 26, 2018 14:57:34 GMT -8
Rubbing Alcohol, I went and looked at the bottle, in the fine print it called Isopropyl Alcohol. When I purchase Isopropyl Alcohol at the drug store, the product name on the bottle is "Rubbing Alcohol". I have used it to kill large moths since I was in High School. I do not know how I began to use Rubbing Alcohol or who told me about rubbing alcohol.
My age is beginning to show.
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Post by LEPMAN on Nov 26, 2018 17:23:37 GMT -8
I always found it a pain to get EA so I just synthesized some chloroform via the haloform reaction. It’s easy, all you need is a 3$ quart bottle of acetone and bleach(sodium hypochlorite) or pool chlorine powder (calcium hypochlorite) mix them together on ice and tadaa
Ps: if you plan on trying this make sure to look at proper concentration of reactants as well as reacting small amounts on ice each time as this reaction is exotérmico and can boil the chloroform away!
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Nov 26, 2018 17:46:41 GMT -8
If you need EA and live close to Georgetown, Kentucky. Email me at Leptraps@aol.com.
It is available in five Gallon pails only.
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Post by Paul K on Nov 26, 2018 17:47:59 GMT -8
I always found it a pain to get EA so I just synthesized some chloroform via the haloform reaction. It’s easy, all you need is a 3$ quart bottle of acetone and bleach(sodium hypochlorite) or pool chlorine powder (calcium hypochlorite) mix them together on ice and tadaa Ps: if you plan on trying this make sure to look at proper concentration of reactants as well as reacting small amounts on ice each time as this reaction is exotérmico and can boil the chloroform away! ☠️☠️☠️
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Post by exoticimports on Nov 27, 2018 3:50:01 GMT -8
Tim had a good idea- always carry something to stuff a bug in. If I'm "in country" (a place likely to stumble into bugs) I carry a couple spare envelopes in my pocket. In a pinch, I've folded over bills (dollar bills or whatever) into a triangle and use that. Works for Leps- beetles, not so much. But Tim's ziploc bag is a good idea, it has a million uses.
Isopropyl alcohol is rubbing alcohol. I've killed thousands of large moths with an alcohol injection. In Ecuador we were so busy at the sheet that for three hours we could do nothing but catch, inject, and throw them on the pile. Literally, we had no time to stuff the moths in envelopes until we had a pile of moths 30cm wide and 20cm high. I don't know why Jan had problems with isopropyl alcohol, it will kill large beetles, Ornithoptera, G Codrus, etc. The only specimen I ever had a problem with was a monstrous centipede that was afixed with a large knife blade, which took several injections.
If not in a hurry, I often stuff the specimen in the envelope, then pierce the envelope and inject the specimen, so less chance of fumbling.
For smaller specimens, I stuff them into an envelope, quick pinch, then they go into a tupperware with alcohol-soaked paper towel.
Chuck
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Post by mothman27 on Nov 27, 2018 8:13:11 GMT -8
I also inject large specimens with Isopropyl/Rubbing alcohol. I always froze specimens until a couple years ago. I find that the wings almost always fold down over the body and are stiffer after being frozen. However, I think the most pliable and easiest to pin specimens are killed with a killing jar with Ethyl Acetate. As long as the specimen is only exposed to the fumes and not injected it works great. It is often difficult to inject small specimens with Rubbing alcohol so I tend to inject large specimens and use the killing jar for small ones.
Tim
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Post by Adam Cotton on Nov 27, 2018 9:17:26 GMT -8
I also inject large specimens with Isopropyl/Rubbing alcohol. I always froze specimens until a couple years ago. I find that the wings almost always fold down over the body and are stiffer after being frozen. However, I think the most pliable and easiest to pin specimens are killed with a killing jar with Ethyl Acetate. As long as the specimen is only exposed to the fumes and not injected it works great. It is often difficult to inject small specimens with Rubbing alcohol so I tend to inject large specimens and use the killing jar for small ones. Tim I always found the best killing jars were made with potassium cyanide. Specimens of even large moths would die very quickly, and there was no stiffening to cause problems with spreading. When we were collecting Sphingids we used to have 2 separate cyanide killing jars, one to catch them with on the sheet and a larger one to put them in once they were immobile. We would normally have at least 2 of the former, and by the time we caught a second moth the one in the first jar was already ko'd and could be transferred to the larger jar and the collecting jar could be used to catch another specimen immediately. Specimens could be left in the large jar until the next day, when they were really supple and easy to spread. Of course cyanide is very dangerous and no longer generally available, but as long as you aren't stupid with the jars they are perfectly safe. The other advantage of these jars is that once they have been made they last for several months. Adam.
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Post by exoticimports on Nov 27, 2018 9:17:54 GMT -8
Tim I tried freezing catocala and others this past summer what a pain. They stiffen so much. Not again
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Post by timsbugs on Nov 27, 2018 16:33:06 GMT -8
When I freeze fresh specimens I always put them in ziploc bags or they will dry out and stiffen. I just took some Catocala out of the freezer from 2015 after a thaw of 5 min they were as fresh as the day they went in. To me Ziploc's are the duct tape of entomology.
Tim
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Post by boghaunter1 on Nov 28, 2018 15:05:56 GMT -8
I, like Leroy & others, have used rubbing alcohol injections to quickly dispatch larger Sphinx & Saturnid moths since forever. Only a tiny amount is needed & I haven't had problems with overly stiff specimens. I use E.A. to quickly knockout most smaller moths (about a minute) & then transfer them into small ziplok bags. I quit using glassine envelopes about 20 yrs. ago & all my insect specimens are stored in small ziploks placed inside larger ziploks placed inside Tupperware. I routinely have no problems mounting older specimens (1-3 yrs. in the deep freeze) immediately after thawing as Tim said. Usually older specimens more than 3 yrs. frozen have to be placed in a relaxer for 1-2 days, as even with this triple packaging, they still get a little freeze dried. I have 2 deep freezers full of frozen specimens. The freezing method with ziploks works great with local collecting where ready access to a freezer is available. For more distant regional locales & tropics collecting I use E.A. jars to dispatch specimens & dry & store specimens in tradional glassine envelopes. In my experience leaving specimens in E.A. jars for longer periods definitely DOES significantly stiffen up the bugs... sometimes so much so that they are unmountable... All my own personal experiences & opinions only... Each to their own...
John K.
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Nov 28, 2018 16:56:54 GMT -8
When it comes to killing butterflies and moths, I prefer Potassium Cyanide. Quick and efficient. However, when using or handling Potassium Cyanide you will only make one mistake and it is always fatal.
I make killing jars once every four or five years. I purchase twelve (12) ounce clear glass straight sided jars with metal caps/lids and a plastic lid seal. I also purchase two (2) clear glass straight side quart jars. I have several friends who are on the receiving end. However,in return I get lots of nice specimens.
So, if you are a clumsy glut who can't break wind and piss at the same time. Do not even consider using cyanide. And if you do, let me know. I will buy a few million bucks in life insurance on you. DA...
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Post by mothman27 on Nov 29, 2018 7:51:38 GMT -8
I, like Leroy & others, have used rubbing alcohol injections to quickly dispatch larger Sphinx & Saturnid moths since forever. Only a tiny amount is needed & I haven't had problems with overly stiff specimens. I use E.A. to quickly knockout most smaller moths (about a minute) & then transfer them into small ziplok bags. I quit using glassine envelopes about 20 yrs. ago & all my insect specimens are stored in small ziploks placed inside larger ziploks placed inside Tupperware. I routinely have no problems mounting older specimens (1-3 yrs. in the deep freeze) immediately after thawing as Tim said. Usually older specimens more than 3 yrs. frozen have to be placed in a relaxer for 1-2 days, as even with this triple packaging, they still get a little freeze dried. I have 2 deep freezers full of frozen specimens. The freezing method with ziploks works great with local collecting where ready access to a freezer is available. For more distant regional locales & tropics collecting I use E.A. jars to dispatch specimens & dry & store specimens in tradional glassine envelopes. In my experience leaving specimens in E.A. jars for longer periods definitely DOES significantly stiffen up the bugs... sometimes so much so that they are unmountable... All my own personal experiences & opinions only... Each to their own... John K. That's interesting. When I froze specimens they were always in sealed ziploc bags and not in the freezer for more than a month or two. They didn't dry out but the wings of smaller moths would fold down more than a specimen killed with a kill jar and although it is very possible to fold them back up it is very difficult to do so without rubbing scales off. I wonder why this happened. Has anyone else had this happen? Also, I usually pin specimens from E.A. killing jars withing a week so they don't stiffen or dry out.
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Nov 29, 2018 8:33:47 GMT -8
Whether I kill the moths with Ethyel Acetate. When I collect specimens with a net or from a sheet, I use a killing jar with Potassium Cyanide, I paper them with wings over back and the envelope with specimen is placed into a seal lock plastic container. When I return home the seal lock container goes straight into the freezer. When on a trip I use the same procedure except into a cooler with ice. When I return home the seal lock container go straight into a freezer.
I like the seal lock plastic containers as they are air tight and liquid cannot enter the containers.
I remove a dozen envelopes with specimens, over night in my relaxer and they are soft as the day I collected them.
Seal Lock Plastic Containers are made by Lock & Lock Container Corp. I think you can get them from Amazon. Lock & Lock Container Co. has been bought and sold several times. I think they are now manufactured in England (??).
I will take some photographs of my Lock & Lock Containers and post the later today.
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Post by jhyatt on Nov 29, 2018 11:19:32 GMT -8
I always found it a pain to get EA so I just synthesized some chloroform via the haloform reaction. It’s easy, all you need is a 3$ quart bottle of acetone and bleach(sodium hypochlorite) or pool chlorine powder (calcium hypochlorite) mix them together on ice and tadaa Ps: if you plan on trying this make sure to look at proper concentration of reactants as well as reacting small amounts on ice each time as this reaction is exotérmico and can boil the chloroform away! Wow - there's another organic chemist on the forum! I thought I was the only one. Cheers, J. Hyatt
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Post by Adam Cotton on Nov 29, 2018 11:39:22 GMT -8
Wow - there's another organic chemist on the forum! I thought I was the only one. Cheers, J. Hyatt An 18-19 year old one! Not qualified yet, but pretty clever. Adam.
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