Bug Soup!



Waiter!  There's a bug in my soup!  ....er....there's 13 bugs in my soup!!!

Just thought I'd share this "unique" image with my followers since I find it so amusing.  :)
This is the way I rehydrate, or "soften", some of my beetles.  The dried beetles go into boiling water for 5-10 minutes and that softens them up enough that I can begin moving the wings and legs again.  It's a lot faster than putting them in my rehydration chamber for a 24-48 hour hydrating process.  Beetles' shells are made from chitin, which is an extremely tough substance, so this quick soak in water doesn't affect the color of most species.

Some butterflies can be done this way, but it's a risky process which I only do in emergencies.  You can't let their wings touch the water at all, so you have to sit there holding them with a tweezers, just dunking the body parts.

Enjoy!