The Society for the study of flies (Diptera)

anymarks · 2010-01-14 19:25:40

I have just spent a profitable afternoon constructing a 'unit tray' system for temporary (?) storage whilst sorting last years specimens. Shuffling conventional wooden storeboxes around was becoming wearisome !

I found that Northern Geological Supplies produce card specimen trays in a variety of suitable sizes (for a matter of pence) coupled with brown cardboard boxes to house them. The trays are good stiff white card, about 30mm deep. I placed a piece of plastazote in the bottom and they are ideal for the 30mm pins I use for staging.

Obviously the boxes are not pest proof but a tray of PDCB (if it is not now banned - fortunately I have a good supply left ) should suffice until the specimens are moved to permanent storage.

Boxes & trays : www.norgeo.co.uk/acatalog/Storage_And_Display.html
Plastazote & Naphthalene : www.watdon.co.uk

Regards
Neil

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Mark · 2010-01-15 13:02:28

The Natural History Museum are using similar trays, but that are of archival quality, available with or without plastazote, and fit nicely in the permanent storage that they use.

Maybe Erica McAlister at the NHM will be able to tell you where these can be purchased from?

anymarks · 2010-01-15 14:44:28

Hello Mark

In my researches I did find a supplier of NHM quality tray systems. I recall that an individual drawer worked out at around £70. The steel cabinet to house 20 drawers cost a further £500 - my ( ever so umble ) boxes came to about £1.50 each.

In an ideal world.......

Regards
Neil

falky · 2010-01-18 22:41:08

Neil,

If the boxes are not pest proof, I'd recommend keeping them inside sealable gripper bags (the polythene bags that seal at one end) once/if material is fully dry. Also keep boxes on racking/shelving with stilted legs so that there is minimal contact with the floor and no contact with walls. I actually put those stilted legs onto tiny tuppeware containers, and used to sprinkle Nippon into these This general approach radically reduces pest attack. I've turned Warwickshire Museums insect store, plus my own study into an assault course for Anthrenus, and with minimal use of chemicals. Only lazer beams are missing.

Falky

conopid · 2010-01-19 08:19:33

The zip up plastic bags is a great idea. Where do you get bags large enough to put a 445mm x 300mm storage box in?

muscapaul · 2010-01-19 14:41:11

falky wrote:
Neil,

If the boxes are not pest proof, I'd recommend keeping them inside sealable gripper bags (the polythene bags that seal at one end) once/if material is fully dry. Also keep boxes on racking/shelving with stilted legs so that there is minimal contact with the floor and no contact with walls. I actually put those stilted legs onto tiny tuppeware containers, and used to sprinkle Nippon into these This general approach radically reduces pest attack. I've turned Warwickshire Museums insect store, plus my own study into an assault course for Anthrenus, and with minimal use of chemicals. Only lazer beams are missing.

Falky

If only our storage space was enough to allow something like that... I can barely move between the racks as it is. FMI: What is Nippon?

malcolmsmart · 2010-01-19 19:12:41

You ask what is Nippon? I remember it as a child. It was an ant poison. Sprinkled along an ant run or at the entrance to a nest it would be picked up by the ants and taken into their nest where it would poison the entire colony. I don't know whether the Nippon brand is still available but I keep a similar chemical which I have to occasionally use when ant colonies attack my kitchen as some have done this very week - I have no idea where they came from (amongst the snow) but they have obviously established a bastion in the foundations of my house below floor level or within the wall cavities and are attracted in huge numbers to any minute morsals of unsealed food which have escaped my the eagle eyes of myself and my wife. Unfortunately, in the interests of hygene, they have to go!!
Malcolm

muscapaul · 2010-01-20 06:24:03

With ant killers I immediately think of borax and, lo and behold, see this: http://www.ppcsupplies.co.uk/KG006.

Michael P · 2010-02-19 10:53:38

I've just received an order of insect boxes from Entosphinx in Czech Republic. I was not aware of this company until recently and thought I would offer it as another option.

I am aware of the large double-sided boxes offered by several UK suppliers. However, I'd also seen the relatively inexpensive 'insect boxes' on the Bioquip US website (http://www.bioquip.com/search/DispProduct.asp?pid=1009) but not found a UK supplier. I then found similar-looking boxes from Entosphinx and thought I'd place an order to see what they were like. The entomological boxes with bookbinding cloth appear to be very good quality and are sturdy and appear mostly pest-proof. They are plastazote lined on one side only. They are relatively inexpensive, although postage for my order was about 50% of the cost of the boxes.

Note that the box itself is 1cm thick and the dimensions at Entosphinx are external, so the 9 x 12 cm box gives just under 7 x 9 cm of pinning space.

http://www.entosphinx.cz/_CZ/EU/

These boxes are not as cheap as the geological boxes referred to above, but they are more sturdy and could offer an alternative solution to storing flies.

Michael

anymarks · 2010-03-06 09:57:01

Thanks for the link Michael - nice looking products. I will probably follow them up.

I looked at Omnesartes (an Italian company) & had the same issue with shipping. By the time VAT and postage was added the list price increased by some 75%.

Neil

The Society for the study of flies (Diptera)

#1 2010-01-14 19:25:40

Collection Storage

#2 2010-01-15 13:02:28

Re: Collection Storage

#3 2010-01-15 14:44:28

Re: Collection Storage

#4 2010-01-18 22:41:08

Re: Collection Storage

#5 2010-01-19 08:19:33

Re: Collection Storage

#6 2010-01-19 14:41:11

Re: Collection Storage

falky wrote:

#7 2010-01-19 19:12:41

Re: Collection Storage

#8 2010-01-20 06:24:03

Re: Collection Storage

#9 2010-02-19 10:53:38

Re: Collection Storage

#10 2010-03-06 09:57:01

Re: Collection Storage

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