We’re All Killers, But Do You Want to be a Collector?

Editor’s note: IPM Insights is a new monthly column written by members of the Urban Pest Management Technical Committee (UPMTC). After the Copesan Technical Committee (CTC) was discontinued in 2020 following the acquisition of Copesan by Terminix in 2018, its former members wanted to find a way to continue the interaction and support they got from the group and decided to start an independent, non-profit corporation. This column will cover a wide range of topics, including pest control techniques and technician training, new technology and other “on-trend” topics of interest to pest management professionals.

Are you a killer or a collector? When it comes to entomology, the difference may be slim! Neither of these terms has the most sterling connotation, and some spouses who have lived with a collector may decide they would prefer a killer. With that admission on the table, I would like to take a few minutes to extol the virtues of maintaining a pest-relevant collection, which may include dried arthropod specimens, vertebrate bones, fecal pellets, pieces of damaged wood and so much more.

I have had a collector’s mentality since I was a child and have at various ages maintained a rock collection, a stamp collection, a coin collection and, of course, an insect collection. In fact, I’ve had multiple insect collections, after my childhood cache suffered a severe dermestid beetle infestation and was tossed out by my mom. That was a bad day, but I learned that the best way to get over the last bug is the next bug — plus, always keep a vapor-action insecticide in your collection!

While collectors tend to exude a messy, unkempt and sometimes creepy vibe, I would like to attempt to dispel those unfortunate profiles and give my top five benefits of maintaining a specimen collection for those working in the pest management industry:

Training — Is there a better way to show new technicians what things really look like than showing them the actual things!? I don’t think so.

Identification — Sometimes it may take hours (or longer) to wade through dichotomous keys, scroll through websites or send a specimen to an expert for identification. After going through all that effort, doesn’t it make sense to retain a labelled specimen to save you trouble the next time you are called on to identify this, or a similar, species?

Forecasting — When is the best time of year to treat a client’s exterior for a particular species of ground beetle? Questions like this generally cannot be answered by looking at the literature, but with labelled specimens from your region in hand, this is a cakewalk.

Outreach — There is nothing like a box of beautiful specimens to excite a group of school kids or impress your neighborhood gardening club. What will you bring the next time a local group is asking for a bug presentation?

Authenticity — Have you ever walked into a pest management office and there weren’t any specimens available to admire? It feels anticlimactic…if not wrong!

In addition to these reasons, collecting can be a joyful and educational experience in itself and a perhaps a way to break the monotony of some of the other tasks you are responsible for. If you are considering starting a collection or going through some old dusty jars on your shelf to organize them, here are a few pointers:

Always jot down the date, location and any other relevant information for every specimen (like, “There were hundreds of these coming out of Mrs. Jones’ trash can!”). It doesn’t take long, and it will save you a lot of detective work in the future should you want this information.

For insects, it is best to mount them (pin them) while fresh; this will minimize the chances that you knock off legs or other body parts. If you have time, you can even spread out the legs or wings in a lifelike fashion, and once dried, they will stay in that pose.

The biggest beginner mistake with pinning insects is putting the specimen right in the middle of the pin. You want to slide the specimen about three-quarters of the way up towards the top of the pin to ensure plenty of room for locality information and identification labels below.

Old, brittle insect specimens can be put in a container with a damp piece of towel and some moth crystals (which prevent mold growth) to rehydrate them and make them pliable again.

Using glueboards to collect things is not ideal. Coach teammates to always use vials or baggies for collection. However, if there is a will, there is a way! Solvents like n-heptane, which is used to thin rubber cement, can be used to dissolve glue, thus liberating specimens that are still intact if you wish to save them.

Tiny or soft-bodied arthropods (such as mites, spiders, termites and springtails) are best stored in alcohol. Seventy-five percent ethanol is typically used, but certain groups may be best preserved in other liquids. Be sure to only fill a vial about three-fourths of the way with alcohol so that you can tip the container on its side and still clearly see the specimen. When a vial is filled to the brim with alcohol, light will be distorted when passing through it, like a magnifying lens.

If the specimen collected has the potential of harboring dangerous pathogens (as do rodent droppings), it is best to store them in a vial with an air-tight seal so dust and germs aren’t liberated when they are handled in the future.

For insect-damaged wood, frequently, the frass is helpful for identification. Consider keeping some frass in a separate labelled vial so it doesn’t tumble out and get lost over the years.

Like anything, there are many more details and tips for those who really get into it, but don’t worry whether or not you are doing it right — the key is to just start collecting and see if you start reaping any benefits! It’s cheap, it’s fun and can be addicting. As the novelist Georges Rodenbach once wrote, “O what joy to be able to postpone the fulfillment of desire to infinity!” Indeed, with the diversity of arthropods all around us, you will see new stuff every year, so the joys of building the perfect collection can last a lifetime!

Worst-case scenario, you’re left with a bunch of dead stuff lying around that your spouse or coworkers will be more than happy to discard for you!

The author is manager of education and training for Rose Pest Solutions in Troy, Mich., and a member of the Urban Pest Management Technical Committee (UPMTC). Learn more at www.upmtc.org.