Insects are like little jewels to me. If I see a pretty or unusual one I instantly feel this twinge, a desire to have. I want it. I feel like Gollum, menacingly whispering “my precious” as I gaze at the beautiful creature.
Despite that desire, I’ve never liked “owning” wild creatures or keeping them as pets unless they are disabled in some way and can’t survive in the wild. I feel that wild animals belong in the wild. That’s where they are happiest. How would I feel if someone stuck me in a small box, threw some food and water at me, and expected me to be happy for the rest of my life?
Despite the fact that insects are quite short-lived, I still don’t like to keep or raise insects except for purely scientific purposes. For example, I found a polyphemus larvae a month ago and kept it and documented its progress.
I learned a great deal from this, mainly that parasitoid wasps can be rather cruel. But I let nature go it’s course. Wasps have a right to exist as well, and just because I was rooting for the polyphemus it didn’t give me the right to interfere with the life cycle of the wasps that were growing inside.
So instead of collecting, I typically photograph insects. I then post my observations on iNaturalist. If I find something highly unusual, I may take the insect into a tent with its host plant to watch it grow, but my goal is always to document and release ( assuming it’s not invasive or exotic). I don’t mind that other people collect. I think it’s good if they plan to preserve the insect and display it. I’ve just found that photography is far easier for me.
Buzzing Blossoms 