As for old samples: Even here in Europe where Apis mellifera is native and we have very old collections, it was not common to provide more than at the most the name on the label 200 years ago. In fact, I do not think I can remember having seen any of the 200+ year old samples with indication of year. You might need to query museum accessions books and hope for accession numbers on the specimens from back then to identify the period the bee was collected. By all means, per-Linnean material of insects must be scarce and limited to few collections.

Best, Claus

On Tuesday, January 28, 2020, 7:00:27 AM GMT+1, ECN-L automatic digest system <[log in to unmask]> wrote:


Hello everyone, 

I was encouraged to repost this from entomo-l. 

I've been trying to find the oldest identified specimens of Apis mellifera collected in the US, Canada, or Mexico. Online databases have been really useful but I'm sure there are some samples out there that haven't been digitized. As of right now, the winner is MCZ with a record from Maine in 1700. 

I'd love to know who has the oldest  Apis mellifera in their collections and your help would be much appreciated. As well, how old is your collection's oldest honey bee? 

Cheers, 
Brock
Hi, folks. In the past few years, our campus became part of a broader
national program that supports Natural History Museum Clubs at various
institutions. Our campus chapter president has been given University
approval to offer a new course in museum science, with a focus on
curatorial practices in different kinds of natural history collections.
Naturally, one of the main types of collections she wants to devote
significant time to is insect collections, and she's asked me to forward
her request to you all, to find good general online sources discussing
the topic.

I've already given her a few links and/or documents, such as detailed
resources discussing specimen pinning, labeling,
databasing/georeferencing, and also packing and shipping. There are
other topics I don't know of single good sources for, such as discussion
of cabinets/drawers/unit trays, or pest control, or fluid and slide
preservation, and similar things.

Unless I'm missing something, I can only find one link on the ECN
website itself, buried deep down in the "systematics resources" section,
to a manual on collecting and preserving insects
(https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.cassavabiz.org_production_proddocs_INSE-2DSCR.PDF&d=DwIGaQ&c=Cu5g146wZdoqVuKpTNsYHeFX_rg6kWhlkLF8Eft-wwo&r=-lUMCZ4RK28H4qvcd3vmEBuyVJHHG0OpDzFenR9wX-A&m=8z2R6lJhvIedFjtIPy_rTacXIASoP4tX94M6CzhTOU0&s=QyTeRlgnSy96cjekDF1wvfUJdVx1t6xEtCJe3_Ue2cU&e= ), and this
is very large and very generalized, so I'm hopeful that (1) people here
have some other good suggestions (either to share with the group or to
share privately), and (2) that the ECN resource pages can include a
number of additional links like these in the future, in a section on
"curatorial resources" (we have frequent discussions along these lines
during our annual meetings).

Thanks in advance!

--
Doug Yanega      Dept. of Entomology      Entomology Research Museum
Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521-0314    skype: dyanega
phone: (951) 827-4315 (disclaimer: opinions are mine, not UCR's)
              https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__faculty.ucr.edu_-7Eheraty_yanega.html&d=DwIGaQ&c=Cu5g146wZdoqVuKpTNsYHeFX_rg6kWhlkLF8Eft-wwo&r=-lUMCZ4RK28H4qvcd3vmEBuyVJHHG0OpDzFenR9wX-A&m=8z2R6lJhvIedFjtIPy_rTacXIASoP4tX94M6CzhTOU0&s=CzJRjpEWxN6zmV45Uv4E8-XZ8WXklXUp0yAesgA6laQ&e=
  "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness
        is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82

Referencing off of Doug's posting about the Natural History Museum Clubs,  NHCCN states, "Clubs focus on collections care, workshops, outreach, and professional development"

A dimension of concern that seems to be missing (or at best only implied) from the NHCCN focus is "Use" of natural history collections --the fundamental point; the context; the 'relevance'; the reason for wanting to support (FUND) a vigorous national/international collection of collections.

The repeated challenge, for many many decades, to natural history museums from organizational/institutional  leaderships is rooted in "What is their value to our institution, to Society? We can no longer support their operational and spatial demands, at least not at the levels sought or currently provided."

The NHCCN should want to answer that primordial challenge.

Another current example,, perhaps,  of interest in the USE of collections: A posting to the NHCOLL-L list invites subscribers to take a survey:

"The purpose of this research study is to learn the common obstacles to teaching course based research experiences (CUREs) using natural history collections data. We also wish to learn which tools and skills are needed to help create new CUREs."

"CURES" is distinguished from "Inquiry" by CUREnet as, " CUREs are distinctive in offering students opportunities to make discoveries that are of interest to stakeholders outside the classroom." [Emphasis mine]

[Emphasis below,  mine]
https://thenhccn.wixsite.com/nhccn/about

The Natural History Collections Club Network (NHCCN) comprises Natural History Collections Clubs from all Emphasisacross the United States. These clubs are student led and dedicated to preserving natural history collections while teaching valuable skills to undergraduate and graduate students interested in collections. 

These clubs occur at both small and large institutions and club members often include students from a variety of majors. Clubs focus on collections care, workshops, outreach, and professional development.

Why collect --still? Why maintain collections --still? In whose service are the natural history collections workers and supporters? Who loves them?

Peter


On Mon, Jan 27, 2020 at 10:45 AM Doug Yanega <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hi, folks. In the past few years, our campus became part of a broader
national program that supports Natural History Museum Clubs at various
institutions. Our campus chapter president has been given University
approval to offer a new course in museum science, with a focus on
curatorial practices in different kinds of natural history collections.
Naturally, one of the main types of collections she wants to devote
significant time to is insect collections, and she's asked me to forward
her request to you all, to find good general online sources discussing
the topic.

I've already given her a few links and/or documents, such as detailed
resources discussing specimen pinning, labeling,
databasing/georeferencing, and also packing and shipping. There are
other topics I don't know of single good sources for, such as discussion
of cabinets/drawers/unit trays, or pest control, or fluid and slide
preservation, and similar things.

Unless I'm missing something, I can only find one link on the ECN
website itself, buried deep down in the "systematics resources" section,
to a manual on collecting and preserving insects
(https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.cassavabiz.org_production_proddocs_INSE-2DSCR.PDF&d=DwIGaQ&c=Cu5g146wZdoqVuKpTNsYHeFX_rg6kWhlkLF8Eft-wwo&r=-lUMCZ4RK28H4qvcd3vmEBuyVJHHG0OpDzFenR9wX-A&m=8z2R6lJhvIedFjtIPy_rTacXIASoP4tX94M6CzhTOU0&s=QyTeRlgnSy96cjekDF1wvfUJdVx1t6xEtCJe3_Ue2cU&e= ), and this
is very large and very generalized, so I'm hopeful that (1) people here
have some other good suggestions (either to share with the group or to
share privately), and (2) that the ECN resource pages can include a
number of additional links like these in the future, in a section on
"curatorial resources" (we have frequent discussions along these lines
during our annual meetings).

Thanks in advance!

--
Doug Yanega      Dept. of Entomology       Entomology Research Museum
Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521-0314     skype: dyanega
phone: (951) 827-4315 (disclaimer: opinions are mine, not UCR's)
              https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__faculty.ucr.edu_-7Eheraty_yanega.html&d=DwIGaQ&c=Cu5g146wZdoqVuKpTNsYHeFX_rg6kWhlkLF8Eft-wwo&r=-lUMCZ4RK28H4qvcd3vmEBuyVJHHG0OpDzFenR9wX-A&m=8z2R6lJhvIedFjtIPy_rTacXIASoP4tX94M6CzhTOU0&s=CzJRjpEWxN6zmV45Uv4E8-XZ8WXklXUp0yAesgA6laQ&e=
   "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness
         is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82