Insect collecting Insect collecting has left traces in European cultural history, literature and songs (e.g., Georges Brassens's "La chasse aux papillons" ("The Hunt for Butterflies")). The practice is still widespread in many countries, and is particularly common among Japanese youths. Insects are passively caught using funnels, pitfall traps, bottle traps, malaise traps, flight interception traps and other passive types of insect traps, some of which are baited with small bits of sweet foods (such as honey). Different designs of ultraviolet light traps such as the Robinson trap are also used by entomologists for collecting nocturnal insects (especially moths) during faunistic survey studies.
Conservation and restoration of insect specimens Integrated pest management (IPM) is a specialized modern pest control used in museums. All IPM systems begin with regular sanitation and monitoring of collections to detect castings from various pests, and checking insect traps laid out to capture and identify which pests are present. Some pests, such as carpet beetles and flour beetles, feed on dried insects. When an infestation is present, treatment may be necessary. Freezing is commonly used to rid insect collections of pests. Alternatively, inert gases may be used for an anoxic fumigation - depriving the pests of oxygen to exterminate, and in extreme cases chemical fumigation