Relaxing

[Kenelm Philip]

Andrew Renshaw inquired about relaxing, wanting a method safe for children
where the specimens could be left in for at least a week.

In my experience, even with PDB in the relaxer, specimens will mold if left
in too long. My guess would be that any chemical powerful enough to kill
mold under those conditions would not be safe for children.

Specimens will also sustain water damage. Pierids often develop green spots
on their wings, hairs get matted, etc. I prefer to use a high level of
humidity and leave the specimens in the relaxer for the minimum period of
time required (of the order of a day for most butterflies). My relaxer
therefore has a large surface area, and only the next day's specimens
are in it at any one time. Leaving material in for several days would
yield a soggy mess!

							Ken Philip
fnkwp at aurora.alaska.edu