Submitting Insect and Arthropod Specimens (no charge for this service)
- We may be able to identify your insect(s), spider(s), etc. from one or more quality photos: Photo Submission Form (no cost)
- We also accept insect (and spider) specimens by mail or drop-off to the address below.
- Important Note: Please do not send us floor sweepings, vacuum cleaner contents or specimens from the body (although ticks, suspected nits and lice will be accepted). Due to potential health risks to our diagnosticians, we cannot accept bodily fluids or other human debris. We are happy to work with a physician to identify any arthropod pest, but submissions of that nature must come directly from a physician.
Please print and fill out the following form to include with any physical sample(s). If you are without a working printer, we ask that you write down the information for us on a sheet of paper to accompany the sample(s) — Thank You!
Specimen Submission Form [PDF] | Specimen Submission Form [Word version]
| UMaine Extension DRL Insect ID Lab 17 Godfrey Drive Orono, ME 04473-3692 |
Phone: 1.800.287.0279 (within Maine) Email: extension.insectID@maine.edu |
How to properly submit a specimen for identification:
- All insects (excluding butterflies and moths) can be placed in a small leak-proof container with just enough rubbing alcohol to cover the specimen for preservation. A plastic pill bottle inside a re-sealable sandwich bag–in case it leaks a little–works well; they often leak at least a small amount! If you are dropping off a sample, then it’s totally fine–and even preferred–if the specimen is still alive, as long as there’s no danger of it escaping (bringing in ‘live’ bed bugs, for example, or bugs suspected of being bed bugs, is probably not a good idea, even if the container is escape-proof! Keep such specimens in a freezer for at least 24 hours prior to bringing them in, if placing them in alcohol isn’t a favorable or feasible option).
- Butterflies and moths should be packed in tissue or cotton for best possible preservation. Alcohol will sometimes alter or destroy certain patterning on a specimen, such as the scales on a moth, so it’s better to keep those types of specimens dry.
- You can mail or drop off specimens at your local County Extension Office or at the Pest Management Unit’s Insect ID Lab.
- Important Note: Please do not submit floor sweepings, vacuum cleaner contents or specimens from the body (although ticks, suspected nits and lice will be accepted). Due to potential health risks to our diagnosticians, we CANNOT accept bodily fluids or other human debris. We are happy to work with a physician to identify any arthropod pest, but submissions of that nature MUST come directly from a physician.
Please Provide:
Your Name: ___________________________________
Phone Number (optional): ______________________________
Mailing Address: (Street / PO Box) _____________________________ (City/Town/Territory) _____________________ (State + Zip Code) _____ __________
Email Address for sending your report: _____________________________________________________________________________ (We prefer sending our lab report via email so that we can include photos of your specimen(s) and/or links to additional online resources that often prove to be incredibly helpful to our clients. Please indicate if you would prefer to be notified in some manner other than an email report, or in addition to an email report.) Please ‘cc’ identification report to: ___________________________________________________ (there is also a line for this option at the bottom in case you miss it here)
Collection Date (an approximate date is sufficient): ________________ Submission Date: __________________
Collection Location: ______________ (town or township/territory, if known)
Collection Location: ______________ (state or country, etc.)
Please provide the following information about your insect specimen:
Where was the insect found? Indoors? (garage/shed, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, etc.) or outdoors? (yard, flower garden, vegetable garden, tree/forest, lake/pond, etc.) ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
What was the insect on or in? (if not already answered above) (for example: found on an animal, tomato, wall, floor, etc.) _____________________________________________
Approximately how many insects were found? ____________
Describe damage, if any? _____________________________________________________________________
Additional Comments: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Depending on the situation–and if warranted–do you have control preferences? (e.g. organic-only, organic if possible, least toxic, etc.) ___________________________________________________________
Do you have children or pets in the home? (feel free to skip this question if you like as it may not be relevant to your case) _______________
Submitted By County Educator? ______________________________ County: ________________________________________
Please ‘cc’ identification report to: ___________________________________________________ (email)