Dead Bugs

Here is a list of insects that I recommend for new hobbyists putting together their first collection for school projects, etc.

You can buy dead or dried insects for classroom assignments or personal display off my shopping cart page. Custom work is possible.

Butterflies are the most popular dead insect ordered, but they are also the hardest to work with because their wings need to be spread carefully and it takes a little practice. Beetles and other insects with hard bodies are actually very easy to pin or spread.

Beetles	Flower Beetle (Cetoniidae)	Orthoptera	Mole Cricket
	Longhorn Beetle (Cerambycidae)		Leaf-mimic Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
	Giant Rhino Beetle (Dynastidae)		Large Grasshopper (Acrididae)
	Stag Beetle (Lucanidae)
	Exotic Weevil (Curculionidae)	Homoptera	Lanternfly (Fulgoridae)
	Dung Beetle (Scarabaeinae)		Exotic Cicada
	Shining Leaf Beetle (Rutelinae)
	Tiger Beetle ( Cicindelidae)	Mantidae	Classic/Typical Mantis
	Ground Beetle (Carabidae)		Dead-leaf Mantis
	Frog-legged Beetle (Sub-fam. Sagrinae)		Flower Mantis
	Metallic Woodborers (Buprestidae)
	Click Beetle (Elateridae)	Phasmida	Stick-insect (Phasmida)
	Darkling Beetles (Tenebrionidae)		Leaf-insect

Lepidoptera	Butterflies (various families)	Hemiptera	Plant Bugs
Lepidoptera	Moths (various families)		Assassins (Reduviidae)
			Giant Water Bugs (Belostomatidae)
Odonata	Damselflies (various families)
	Dragonflies & Skimmers (Libellulidae)	Hymenoptera	Wasps (Hymenoptera)
	Giant Damselflies (Pseudostigmatidae)		Leafcutter Ant (Hymenoptera)

Diptera	Robber Flies (Asilidae)	Blatteria	Tropical Roaches (Blaberidae)
	Bee Flies (Bombyliidae)		Roaches (Blattellidae)
	Mosquitoes (Culicidae)		Cockroaches (Blattidae)
	Stalk-eyed Flies (Diopsidae)		Burrowing Roaches (Polyphagidae)
	Mydas Flies (Mydidae)
	Horse & Deer Flies (Tabanidae)	Neuroptera	Lacewings (various families)
	Crane Flies/Mosquito-Eaters (Tipulidae)		Mantispids (Mantispidae)
			Antlions (Myrmeleontidae)
Isoptera	Termites (various families)		Owlflies (Ascalaphidae)

Miscellaneous Insects	Many other orders and families available. Ask.

Arachnids	Ask.

Other Invertebrates	Ask.

The above table represents just small selection of what is available. Most importantly, I need you to communicate your needs to me as specifically as possible. If you are unfamiliar with, or new to the hobby, I’m happy to answer any questions you might have and help you along to accomplish your goal.

Remember, you'll end up with a collection that you will be proud of for the rest of your life. Many insects will retain their colors for generations longer than the human lifespan! Keeping them out of direct sunlight will extend the depth of color by many many years. Specimens in university and museum collections collected hundreds of years ago still look much the same as they did the day they were collected!

<Click this picture for an example of how bugs are mounted or spread, using pins and Styrofoam. No pins actually enter the the body, but are used, rather, to hold the parts in place until the exoskeleton is sufficiently dried.