[Nhcoll-l] vials for storing insects in ETOH

Wed Nov 17 18:01:42 EST 2021

I second Andy's recommendation of the polyester fiber plugs. They are far
easier to work with and rarely come out of the vials if inserted correctly.
Compressible stoppers, soft flexible lids, and rigid lids will all fail
over time.

--John

John E. Simmons
Writer and Museum Consultant
Museologica
*and*
Associate Curator of Collections
Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery
Penn State University
*and*
Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia
Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima

On Wed, Nov 17, 2021 at 5:58 PM Bentley, Andrew Charles <abentley at ku.edu>
wrote:

> Tonya
>
>
>
> Here at KU, out entomology division is doing similar by placing vials into
> larger jars for more efficient storage.  However, instead of using caps,
> they are using polyester batting to stopper each vial which has the
> advantage of allowing alcohol exchange between each individual vial and the
> surrounding alcohol in the jar.  A small wad of the batting inserted into
> the top of the vial provides a good barrier -
> https://www.amazon.com/Fairfield-Poly-Premium-Fiber-32-Ounce/dp/B004ALQ0M2.
> The material is not affected by alcohol and does not break down.
>
>
>
> I can send images if it would help
>
>
>
> Andy
>
>     A  :             A  :             A  :
>  }<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<)))_°>
>     V                V                V
> Andy Bentley
> Ichthyology Collection Manager
> University of Kansas
> Biodiversity Institute
>
> Dyche Hall
> 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard
> Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561
> USA
>
> Tel: (785) 864-3863
> Fax: (785) 864-5335
> Email: abentley at ku.edu
>
> ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3093-1258
>
> http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu
>
>     A  :             A  :             A  :
>  }<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<)))_°>
>     V                V                V
>
>
>
> *From:* Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> * On Behalf Of *Simon
> Moore
> *Sent:* Wednesday, November 17, 2021 4:50 PM
> *To:* Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) <Tonya.Haff at csiro.au>
> *Cc:* NHCOLL-new <nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
> *Subject:* Re: [Nhcoll-l] vials for storing insects in ETOH
>
>
>
> Hi Tonya,
>
>
>
> When I was last doing this kind of work (about 20 years ago) I used nylon
> ribbed caps and these were inserted (inverted) into larger jars.  When I
> last looked at them (one year ago) they were still holding up well with no
> noticeable evaporation.
>
>
>
> With all good wishes, Simon
>
> Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR
> Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian,
>
> www.natural-history-conservation.com
> <https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.natural-history-conservation.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cabentley%40ku.edu%7Cc6cd1d6e50154069406308d9aa1cbb5d%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C637727863231213644%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=ctraOG5JSiI%2F62qwryxe4JSTZvzbQ71jcalxszp2fgg%3D&reserved=0>
>
>
>
>
> On 17 Nov 2021, at 22:32, Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) <Tonya.Haff at csiro.au>
> wrote:
>
> Hello all,
>
> We are planning on rehousing our collection of vertebrate parasites in
> ETOH (a range of invertebrate taxa) before we move to our new building in a
> few years. The goal is to: a) make the specimens safer from accidental
> dehydration; and b) save space and alcohol volume. The collection is
> currently housed in McCartney vials. They are good but do eventually fail,
> and dry out rapidly when they do. In addition, there are many specimens
> that could be housed in much smaller containers, which would save lots of
> space, if it were appropriate to do so.
>
> Our plan is to move specimens and labels into smaller vials, filled with
> alcohol, and then to place those smaller vials into 2L jars topped with
> ETOH. Jars would be organised taxonomically and with a large label inside
> the jar so specimens will still be easy to find (though it will probably be
> annoying to have to go through the whole jar but hey ho). But we think this
> solution offers greater storage/space potential and should allow us so
> safely preserve smaller specimens in smaller vials, without the risk of
> dehydration.
>
> My question regards vial tops. Right now we are planning on using LDPE
> push top lids (into soda glass vials). I think this should be fine, but I
> just wanted to collect the collective mind to see if anyone had any
> thoughts on this to offer? It's the lids that I am wondering about. The
> only alternative I can think of is to use cotton stoppers instead, but
> I worry that cotton is too 'catchy' for invertebrates and might lead to
> damage. We could get screw top lids, but they are wadded and I am not sure
> what the lid material is (but it is black so maybe Bakelite?).
>
> The specimens will be housed in a climate-controlled vault at 18C and 50%
> rH, so I think there shouldn't be any issues of lids popping out because of
> temperature changes, etc (though that thought does make me feel nervous I
> admit).
>
> Thanks in advance and apologies for the very long email!
>
> Cheers,
>
> Tonya
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