My vodka brand is "Eristoff", 37,5% alcohol.

But my friend is using other vodka brands and I have never checked the alcohol % on his vodka, I guess all vodka would work.

I have used vodka or gin with no apparent difference. Love this method because it inhibits mold and the drying time is faster due to a lower vapor point. I am glad you like the vodka method ! A game-changer ! chuck < you shoud try with vodka as explained, as your method doesn't seem to work : wings...

Trehopr1 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 6:52 pm I'm going to give Olivier's vodka relaxation method a go on mine

Be sure to practice on small Nymphalidae or Pieridae before trying on Agrias.

It is called "ranks" on phpbb software. Here are the existing ranks : - New members : 1 to 4 posts - Junior members : 5 to 99 posts - Meek : 100 to 499 posts - Wallace : 500 to 1999 posts - Darwin : more than 2000 posts Special ranks : - Premium members : member who help finance the forum ...

Thanks a lot, Manfred.

Dear members, You will soon receive an email from me about the yearly donation to Insectnet. Insectnet Forum and the Classifieds are great assets for all of us. It is a friendly place for entomologists where they can share their passion. The yearly cost of the Classifieds software, the new forum dev...

livingplanet3 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 27, 2022 12:31 am I've been looking for a specimen of this particular form for quite some time, but have never seen one for sale.

There are some available now, see on Collector's Secret : https://www.collector-secret.com/insect ... fly/agrias

it is the typical Agrias sahlkei sahlkei of French Guiana and the Obidos region in Brazil. A. sahlkei sahlkei Guyane franc. - Kopie.JPG This specimen must be the most perfect Agrias sahlkei I have ever seen. Congrats Manfred ! BTW I have a lot of Agrias sahlkei from Obidos and they do look differen...

Yes, it is.
See Manfred’s monography

A couple more of my Agrias with data Female A claudina croesus from Kempton Show London. Male A sardanapalus lugina form godmani from Chuck Ianni. Dave, the correct ID of your second Agrias is a Agrias claudina lugina form orleansi . Please note that "sardanapalus" is a ssp of claudina (f...

I think this is the rarest Agrias in my collection : Agrias phalcidon phalcidon form floqueti.



Known from very few specimens.
This local form has been found in a small biotope around Rio Urupadi (Brazil).

I like this painting a lot. I prefer these artistic interpretations to perfect reproductions.

Chuck : these are rather big butterflies, we will see if 24h is enough. For Pieridae, 12/18h is enough.

Another thing to take into account : the volume of the tupperware. Mine is only 5 cm high. I guess the smaller the tupperware is, the faster the process is (with the same volume of vodka).

Is there any difference between using vodka and gin? I remember previously someone recommended gin. The gin method explained on Insectnet years ago was a gin injection method. I used it for about one year and it was as good as hot water injection... but as all injection methods, it has some defects...

Not a "cup", a bottle cap. Should be 3 ml max...

Important notice to all : don't drink the vodka !

Thanks.
I have never tried isopropyl alcohol and water, so let us know. It will be interesting.
Which proportion of isopropyl alcohol vs water, do you use ?

Both method seem "chemically" very close and much better than hot water only.

Please try it on a simple butterfly (Pieridae) and a tougher one and let me know how it works for you.
For me, it is a life-changer !

We had a lot of discussion about the best method to relax dried butterflies. Here is a new method I have been now using for a year, that my friend Nicolas Grimaldi taught me last summer: the vodka method! It is very simple , very fast and it relaxes the butterflies much better than the classical met...

With the vodka method, you don't even need to put them in the fridge.
Here is a dedicated post with pictures and explanations : viewtopic.php?p=3996#p3996