Editing Insect collecting (section)

{{Short description|Hobby}}
{{For|the scientific study of insects|Entomology}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2018}}
[[File:Beetle collection.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|[[Beetle]] collection at the [[Melbourne Museum]], Australia]]

'''Insect collecting''' refers to the collection of [[insect]]s and other [[arthropod]]s for scientific study or as a [[hobby]].<ref name="Manoj K. 2022">Manoj K., Ranjan R., Sinha M. P., Dhan A., Naaz F., Khanum G., Rani K. A., Sharma S., Raipat B. S. (2022). A Review on Insect Collection and Preservation Techniques. European Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Research, 9(7): 233-239.</ref> Most insects are small and the majority cannot be identified without the examination of minute morphological characters, so [[entomologist]]s often make and maintain insect collections. Very large collections are preserved in [[natural history museum]]s or [[University|universities]] where they are maintained and studied by specialists. Many college courses require students to form small collections. There are also amateur entomologists and collectors who keep collections.

Historically, insect collecting has been widespread and was in the [[Victorian age]] a very popular educational [[hobby]]. Insect collecting has left traces in European [[cultural history]], literature and songs, e.g., [[Georges Brassens]]'s ''La chasse aux papillons'' (''The Hunt for Butterflies''). The practice is particularly common among [[Japan]]ese youths.{{citation needed|date=January 2014}}