The
relaxing syringe is one way to relax insect
specimens. Fill a 1ml or ½ ml syringe with warm water. Then
inject the warm
water in the butterfly or moth in the thorax. For large beetles I
inject between
the abdominal segments close to the thorax since the thick exoskeleton
can
damage my needle.
Sometimes I find it necessary to kill a specimen quickly so that it
will not
damage the wings and other delicate parts. Using a relaxing
syringe to
inject the thorax with acetone is very effective.
This kills the specimen immediately and minimizes damage
