Specimen Preparation: White-Tailed Bumblebee (Update) 🐝

Following on from my first White-Tailed Bumblebee preparation, I pinned a second specimen to further practise and refine my entomological skills.

This individual was prepared in a slightly different position, with its proboscis (tongue) extended and its head tilted downward. This naturalistic pose highlights important anatomical features and provides a new perspective compared to my first bumblebee specimen.

This specimen builds on my earlier White-Tailed Bumblebee pinning, where the positioning emphasised natural wing and leg spread. By contrast, this preparation highlights the proboscis extended and the head lowered, allowing closer study of feeding anatomy. Together, the two bees illustrate how subtle variations in pinning can reveal different aspects of insect morphology and curatorial practice.

🧰 Materials and Equipment:

• 🐝 White-Tailed Bumblebee (second specimen found in Cheltenham)

• 🧼 Soap and water cleaning solutions

• 🧻 Paper towels (to blot dry before pinning)

• 🖌️ Paint brush to fluff up fuzz

• 📍 Stainless steel entomological pins

• 🤍 Styrofoam or pinning board (I use recycled parcel foam)

• ⏳ Drying time: several days before final display

• 🫙 Glass display jar with cork base

⚙️ Preparation Process:

• Careful handling of specimen during drying and pinning

• Adjusted positioning to emphasise natural feeding posture

• Mounted securely in glass jar for safe long-term storage and display

White-tailed Bumblebee - Cheltenham, Gloucestershire - 09/09/2023

Key Skills Developed:

• 🖼️ Curatorial Practice – Anatomical presentation highlighting key features, creating specimen variation for educational purposes, ensuring visual balance, and judging when to prioritize scientific accuracy versus creative presentation

• 🫙 Preservation & Management – Secure pinning to prevent damage, long-term display planning in sealed housing, documenting preparation details, and building a coherent entomological series

• 🏛️ Museum-Relevant Skills – Professional entomological pinning standards, interpretive display of anatomical features, comparative curation for storytelling, and creating accessible educational displays

• 🧩 Problem-Solving – Overcoming positioning challenges with delicate anatomy, managing specimen fragility, improving through iterative practice, and varying displays for interest and learning

• 🎨 Professional Skills – Precision in handling delicate features, patience through extended preparation, systematic workflow management, and using scientific preparation as narrative storytelling

This second bumblebee specimen demonstrates my growing confidence in insect preparation, showing how repeated practice allows me to refine techniques and experiment with presentation. Together with my first bumblebee, it forms part of a developing entomological series, strengthening both my curatorial skills and my museum-focused portfolio.

💀 See more on my Instagram: @BonesByShannon 🪲

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