The best way to donate most freshly collected specimens is as follows:

1. One or more specimens inside a leak-proof vial, bottle, or similar container filled with 70% alcohol (rubbing, aka isopropyl, is OK but ethanol is better). We prefer BioQuip's 1-dram screw cap glass vials with the polyseal caps (catalog numbers for a count of 144: 8891 & 8013P) unless you need a larger vial (2 or 4-dram).

2. Inside the vial with the specimens there should be a label with data ideally including the following sorts of information. Use pencil to write the label, or an alcohol-proof pen like a Pigma pen. To fit the label inside the vial it shouldn't be longer than 26mm. Laser-printed labels should be toasted or baked for 10 seconds at 300°F to bond the ink tightly into the paper.

Example label:

USA: ALASKA: Amatignak Isl.  
el.6m, 51.26014°N, 179.07802°W ±3m
back beach, Leymus sp.,  Malaise,  
10JUN-1SEP 2008 D. S. Sikes

explanation:

line 1: country, state, location
line 2: elevation, latitude& longitude in decimal degrees
            with +/- GPS accuracy if a GPS unit was used
line 3: habitat description, dominant plant(s), collection method
            (eg hand coll., sweep net, pitfall trap, Malaise trap, etc.)
line 4: date (start & stop dates for traps) with month abbreviated in letters,
            not numerals, & collector(s) 

Some specimens are best preserved dry such as butterflies and moths. If you wish to donate specimens that have already been mounted on pins (size #3, stainless) please try to associate the above sorts of data with the specimens.

Note regarding mailing specimens with alcohol: It's best to minimize the amount of alcohol mailed so after the specimens have been thoroughly soaked with alcohol and are ready to mail, pour off most of the alcohol and insert a crumpled piece of soft tissue paper or cotton ball into the vial(s) to prevent the specimen(s) from banging about during mailing.

Mail to:

Derek Sikes, Curator of Insects
907 Yukon Drive
University of Alaska Museum
Fairbanks, AK 99775-6960
 

Please email the curator prior to donation (dsikes 'at' alaska.edu).