Kill the
insect
First the insect needs to be killed. There are many ways to go about this, but the easiest is usually to freeze it. Place your insect in a sealed container and lay the container in the freezer for a while. Most insects will die within a few hours, but don’t be surprised to see some live for days in the freezer.
Try to be as gentle as possible when killing the insect. A squished
insect may be very difficult to identify!
Take a picture
Pick a solid-coloured background with a contrasting colour from the specimen itself. A white background usually works best, however, if the insect is white in colour, a black background would work better in that case. Your organism should be fully intact.
Keep in mind, when taking pictures, that you should try and give us the most information possible, i.e., include as many features of the organism's anatomy as possible. See the bottom of the page for sending details.
Information
to include
When you send a specimen in to be identified, there is certain information you must include, whether it is a dead specimen or merely a photograph, which will aid us in identifying the insect for you.
It is necessary to tell us what area you found it in (for example, what region or town of Newfoundland and Labrador). It is also beneficial if you can also tell us what the surroundings of the insect were like (i.e., was it by a pond, or in your house). What time of year (Spring, Winter, and etcetera) is also necessary information.
If the insect you are sending in is one that you suspect is causing damage to a plant, sending in part of the damaged plant (such as a leaf) could perhaps be instrumental in determining the identity of the insect.
Some other information which can be useful to us is as follows: was the insect already dead when you found it, how many insects of that type were there (was there only one, or was there a swarm of them), any insect habits (were they present during the day or the night, for example) and any additional information that you think may be pertinent.
How to send in your specimen
A series of pictures is generally preferred over an actual specimen but here's how to send one in if you really want a good detailed report.1. Make sure it's dead!
2.
Place it in an appropriate container.
A sealed plastic bag would be preferred but feel free to put it in anything which can be sealed. Some things you could use are old pill bottles, margarine containers, sandwich bags etc…
3.
Use a padded envelope.
Anything other than a regular business envelope is preferred. This is because regular mail envelopes tend to go through processes that would squish or flatten any specimen should you choose to put it in a plastic bag.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that the more specimens we have to work with and the better the condition they are in, the easier it is to identify them and relay the information back to you!
Bug Promoters
Memorial University
St. John's
Newfoundland
Canada A1B 3X9
