Ethyl acetate or ether?

[DR. JAMES ADAMS]

Listers,

	Most of the time I agree with Leroy, but a word of caution about 
use of ethyl acetate or ether as a fumigant/repellant.  Both can 
dissolve/mobilize fat body in specimens and cause them to grease. 
You can, of course, remove grease from specimens by inundating 
them in a good fat solvent, such as acetone or xylene, but some 
specimens, particularly those with green coloration are completely 
ruined by greasing -- you cannot restore the color.  I lost several 
specimens of Miracavira brillians simply because they were killed 
in an ethyl acetate containing light trap, field-mounted and left them 
in a drawer with a bunch of other ethyl-acetate killed specimens.  
Slowly over time most of these specimens were rendered 
greenless.

	Just my two cents worth.

	James

Dr. James K. Adams
Dept. of Natural Science and Math
Dalton State College
213 N. College Drive
Dalton, GA  30720
Phone: (706)272-4427; fax: (706)272-2533
http://www.daltonstate.edu/galeps/  (Georgia Lepidoptera)
U of Michigan's President James Angell's 
  Secret of Success: "Grow antennae, not horns"

 
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