Spring Clean

When I'm out in the field looking for interesting insects / inverts, I generally pot everything up live as my preference is to photograph and release wherever possible - especially where the ID is readily supported by a photo. I do have and could use a pooter, but this is only really any good for small stuff, and generally only useful if you fully intend to despatch the whole lot. Using a pooter is also not much good when you are taking a range of specimens from across different orders - stuff that could eat each other .....

I've used glass tubes for years, because plastic tubes can build up static and detach a load of scales from potted up moths. The plastic also gets scratched and scuffed which makes checking potted individuals with a hand lens difficult. The glass tubes are not without issue though, as there is the obvious risk of breakage. In my experience this tends to be higher with the larger tubes where the diameter is c20mm or more, as the glass wall is then relatively thin versus the diameter. The smaller tubes at c12mm diameter or less seem to be more resiliant, and I have dropped more of these that have bounced than I have dropped and smashed. Out in the field in 20 or so years I've only broken a couple of tubes whilst in the process of removing or pushing in the cap, and whilst they are rattling around in my bag they are fine.

Regardless of what pots/tubes you use, there are some universal issues for anyone with a range of interests. Imagine:

• you've spent some time diligently sweeping/sieving/beating or generally thrashing the environment. You find what appears to be a really smart weevil that needs to be checked closely and that you want to try and photograph, so you bung it in a pot - only to then realise that the pot was last used for a moth that flapped itself stupid and shed lots of scales ....

• you're sat at the side of your mothing sheet deep in woodland, when a really smart-looking micro lands in front of you. You grab a pot and get it contained, only then realising that the pot was last used for a very industrious web-making spider ....

So nowadays I take out fresh clean tubes wherever I go, although I am not infallable when unprepared!

The good thing about glass tubes is that they can be easily washed out. This also means that labels/stickers that have been put on pots with retained specimens can be removed without leaving a residue. However washing the pots is a bit of a chore, so over time through a need for more pots and a lack of enthusiasm for washing them out, I've ended up with a ridiculous number of them. Which just makes washing them out an even longer task. Still, instead of washing 30 or so pots every month I wash c180 every spring.

Today was the day after another hospital check-up this morning (all good). I was thinking about getting out, but by the time I'd got home the conditions were not exactly inspiring so I thought I'd use the time productively getting ready for when things improve.

Pink drying-mat optional

Of course, having washed all these up, the balacing act is making sure they are properly dry. Aside from the aforemented hazards of potting up something in a pre-used pot, containing anything in a damp tube is just as bad. I usually leave them on the drying mat for a couple of days, and then give them a moderate 'tray-bake' just to be sure. The caps usually dry out okay if left long enough.

Roll on spring.