Entomology 311 Lab Manual - 1st Edition, 2019

Figure 1-10: Diagram of ideal location to pin insects by type.
The height of the insect on the pin is easily spaced using a pinning block. Once the pin is in the correct position in
the thorax and through the body, insert the point of the pin into the highest step of the pinning block and gently
press. Make sure the insect is level on the pin, as shown below (figure 1-11) For larger insects, turn the pin upsidedown
into the bottom step of the block to make sure the body of the insect isn’t too close to the head of the pin at
the top (figure 1-12).
Figure 1-11 (Left): Keep insect level on the pin. Figure 1-12 (Right): Pinning block use
For insects that are too small to be pinned through the thorax without ruining the specimen, a pointed elongate
triangle of paper is used. The wide end of the triangle is pinned, and the thin point is glued to the right side of
16 | Week 1: Reading