Posted by Moth and Beetle on 23rd Aug 2024
Everything You Need to Know About Minutens!
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As the name implies, these are TINY pins. Really, really tiny pins! They are only 12mm in length and have no head.
The pointed end of the minuten is inserted in the insect, and the other end is inserted in a small piece of Plastazote foam (even the blunt end can go through foam.) A standard insect pin, generally size 2 or 3, is inserted in the other end of the piece of foam. The labels are pinned onto the standard insect pin.
Points/glue boards and minutens are both used to deal with arthropods that are too tiny to pin in the usual way. Due to their "fluffy" surface, micro-moths are usually pinned with minutens, not glued onto points/glue boards as "fluff" interferes with the ability to glue the specimen properly. Beetles, on the other hand, are typically attached to points/glue boards. Flies and wasps can be treated either way. This is partially a matter of preference and partially a consideration of the exact specimen being mounted.
Material
Most minutens are stainless steel.
However, Entochrysis and Austerlitz do produce black enamel minutens, but these are only available in size 15 (0.15mm). Aesthetically there may be a reason to favour a black pin, but with minutens, there is no cost-advantage to choosing black enamel.
Minuten Sizes
Same as standard insect pins, minutens come in different sizes to fit different insects. The specimen doesn't have to be pushed all the way past the point, if it is too tiny for even the smallest minuten.
- Size 10, length 12mm, diameter 0.10mm
- Size 15, length 12mm, diameter 0.15mm
- Size 20, length 12mm, diameter 0.20mm
- Size 25, length 12mm, diameter 0.25mm
As a point of reference, size 000 insect pins are the same diameter as size 25 minutens.
Note that size 25 minutens are unique to EntoSphinx, while Kostal produces only sizes 15 and 20.
Minuten Manufacturers
We carry the following brands, all made in the Czech Republic:
Minutens come in packages of about 500 pins. This is a package that one never wants to drop or spill! The cleanup solution is a magnet. However... be prepared that it is extremely unlikely that one will be able to remove the minutens from the magnet. But pet and human feet will be saved from puncture. Also not recommended to use minutens over carpet or rug.