Always use real insect pins, not sewing pins. Insect pins are longer, thinner, and won’t rust. Sizes #2 and #3 handle most specimens; use #1 or smaller for little insects, and #4 or #5 for big beetles and grasshoppers.

Where to pin:

• Beetles: through the right front wing (elytron), near the top.
• True bugs: through the triangle (scutellum) on the back, slightly right of center.
• Grasshoppers and crickets: through the back of the thorax, right of center.
• Butterflies, moths, bees, wasps, flies, dragonflies: through the middle of the thorax.

Pin straight up and down, and leave about a quarter inch above the insect so you can grab the pin. A pinning block helps keep everything at the same height. Insects too tiny to pin can be glued to the tip of a small paper triangle (a point) instead.