Can a beetle be relaxed for too long?

[dchiu]

Someone wanted me to pin their dead female black stag beetle about an inch and a half in length and this is my first time pinning a beetle. It's been dead for about a week or so and I seem to have received it a bit moist (she was wrapped in paper towel but was rinsed off prior, I guess it trapped some water); when i took her out of the jar, the feelers and legs were flexible. No matter what angle or how much force I apply the elytra won't open, and from what I see of videos of other people's relaxed beetles, the wings seem like they should at least unfold a bit to reveal the abdomen without a ton of force. Some even have the wings falling open.

I tried relaxing in very warm water for a few minutes which didn't work, so I put the beetle in a relaxing chamber last night of the bug on a plastic cap sitting on a paper tower with 50:50 isopropyl 70 & tap water.

My biggest concern is, just how long can I safely relax this beetle? It already showed up moist enough to be flexible. Resources I've read simply say something like "relaxing too long (more than 1-3 days) can ruin the specimen" but I don't know what "ruin" is supposed to mean, and if it applies to a thick, tough bug like a beetle or if that's mostly for squishier specimens, or if they mean a museum won't be able to study this thing.

Will it decompose to the point of limbs dropping off or something? Discoloration? If mold is the only risk, I don't really mind, my only concerns are keeping the bug in one piece and successfully posing it's wings. Thanks.

Additionally, is the relaxing process necessary in terms of being able stick the body pin through? Is a dry beetle at greater risk of cracking or breaking when stabbed with the pin?

[58chevy]

Yes, beetles will fall apart if relaxed too long. They can also fall apart if you try to pin them when they are dry & brittle. I usually relax them with water only. I put them in a Tupperware container and sandwich them between several layers of paper towels, both underneath and on top of the specimen. I soak the towels until they're dripping wet (If you don't use enough water, it will take them forever to relax.) Unless your beetles are very large tropical species, they are usually moist enough to pin in 12 to 24 hours. If you need to soak them longer, adding mothballs or alcohol will prevent mold. I seldom spread the wings of the beetles I catch, so I can't help you much there. All I can say is if the elytra won't move, soak them longer. Some flightless beetles have fused elytra, so you can't open them at all.

[bandrow]

Greetings,


58chevy answered your questions about relaxing and pinning quite thoroughly, so nothing to add by me on those topics. As for the elytra not opening, it may be more that you're not quite moving them in the correct direction. Scarabs and lucanids are built such that the elytra need to be lifted straight up a very tiny bit, and then pivoted forward to have them spread open. This is a really tough motion to describe, but gently play with them to see if you can get them to "unlock" and spread open.

Once you find that magic motion, they will spread nicely. Wish I could be more specific, but it's one of those things that one learns "by feel" over time...

Good luck!
Bandrow

[tv]

That's funny Bandrow, I was trying to think about how I would describe that motion and it really is hard to explain. I guess I have had some success getting a hold of one side of the elytra between a thumbnail and fingernail and gently twisting it back and forth while lifting slightly up but mostly out. Not sure if that makes any sense, but like he said, it's one of those learn by doing things.

Also, once you get it spread/pinned, I would probably use a fan blowing on it to dry it out a little quicker. If it's been wet that long it could start to get moldy if it sits where the air is stagnant.

You'll have to let us know how it turns out.

[dchiu]

Wonderful, thank you guys very much for the quick advice. I genuinely can't find even a hint of a seam on this beetle's wings but I know for a fact I've seen it fly in it's tank so I'm sure I'll find a way to open it soon. Will continue to attempt relaxing, possibly using a hot paper towel specifically on the elytra so as not to unnecessarily continue moistening the rest of the beetle. The beetle itself is far too slippery and small for me to keep trying to wedge my nail in there unfortunately.

I'll update if I make any progress, hopefully it involves photos of a successfully spread and pinned bug hah.

[dchiu]

Hello and thank you, a dripping wet paper towel on the wings followed by a twisting straight up pull did the trick. Elytra were a bit sticky on the underside, may have had to do with her getting crushed by her roomate male stag.

Been a few years since I've pinned anything, but I think it came out pretty decent. White spots were on the abdomen the next day, but a brushing with isopropyl seems to have cleared up whatever it was. Her name is Beans.