Utah Bug Club!

Butterflies Moths Beetles Dragonflies Other Insects Meetings & Field Trips Insect Life Cycles Habitats Equipment & Supplies Starting a Collection

Getting Started

Introduction:

If you live in Utah or Salt Lake Valley, attending bug club meetings is the best way to started into the world of insects.  Because the Utah Bug Club is sponsored by the Utah Lepidopterists' Society, we have to confess that our curriculum is somewhat biased towards lepidoptera--butterflies and moths--especially butterflies.  However, we have worked hard this year to expand our curriculum to involve other important orders of insects--beetles, dragonflies, grasshoppers, etc.

For a list of Utah Bug Club meetings, please see our meetings & field trips page for 2006.

If you live too far away from Northern Utah, and are interested in getting started, the first step is to obtain a Bioquip catalog from http://www.bioquip.com.   Bioquip is one of few insect supply vendors which offers a comprehensive selection of insect hobby books and supplies. 

Materials:

In order to get started in the hobby, the following materials are recommended:  A field collecting net, glassine envelopes, a mounting board, insect pins, killing jars, storage boxes, a field journal, and a reliable field guide.  

Once you have obtained a Bioquip catalog, see below for the pages that cover the items discussed above.

• Butterfly nets go to pages 44-48
• Glassine envelopes go to page 51
• Mounting boards go to page 31
• Insect pins go to page 32
• Teasing needles go to page 29
• Samples of pinning needles
• Killing jars go to page 50
• Storage boxes or drawers go to page 5.
• Books on insects start on page 95.

Bear in mind that paid members of the Utah Bug Club get a basic starter kit which includes a styrofoam mounting board, as set of pins, pinning strips, a mounting box for pinned specimens, and a container to raise caterpillars. For more information about becoming a member please click here. 

Recommended Field Guides:

For taxonomy and identification, the recommended field guide for butterflies is "Butterflies of North America" by Jim Brock and Kenn Kaufman.  It is a comprehensive guide for the entire continent; yet designed for beginners.  The cost for this book roughly $15.00.  For UBC members looking for more information about butterfly and moth rearing, photography, gardening, mounting, etc., "Basic Techniques For Observing and Studying Moths and Butterflies" by William D. Winter is highly recommended.

Utah Bug Club is sponsored by the Utah Lepidopterists' Society.

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