Welcome To Garthe's Insect Gradebook Homepage -- condition grading of specimens and the use of Cedar Oil as a dermestid repellent.

To provide a reference point whereby any trader, seller, or buyer may visit and use the grading system for his/her use in determining how to grade a specimen by comparison and description.  People electing to use this site as a reference for selling, trading, auctioning, or buying should refer to it as Garthe's Insect Gradebook and may link to it as needed.  In order to provide a wide array of images, I am using smaller file sizes in JPEG format.

 This website may be changed depending on future scenarios.  I am starting out this way for financial reasons and as a test of the field, test of reactions, and whether I and the insect hobbyist/seller community deem it worthwhile/viable.  I welcome constructive comments/emails and will reply as time allows.

If you have a specimen in question, send me a message with attached JPEG photo and I will grade it as per my criteria and/or post it (the JPEG) for comments from visitors.  Space may be limited as well as time of postings.  I am (admittedly) new at this and will endeavor to maintain  objectivity and fairness.

Later on in the site, check out the Cedar Oil section. I have found and worked up a pretty nice, effective, safer (fume-wise) system for protecting my collection.  If you are interested in replacing the fumes of PCB and Vapona in your collection with an effective safer alternative, read the later two pages w pics.

Also, there is a section on Mounting Tips and Ideas to share with you.  I have developed these over years and continue to adapt and build on new ideas.  If any of these work for you or give you ideas of your own, great.

I am an avid amateur lepidopterist/coleopterist who has collected, reared, photographed, studied, and bought insect specimens from around the world for 44 years.  I have a substantial collection, am a biology teacher, and have also contributed to several museums.  I am not professing to be perfect in this endeavor, but merely launching a site whereby action is initiated to remedy the vast grading woes of sellers, buyers, dealers, and suppliers.  I will start with lepidoptera and will continue with coleoptera later on.  Also, I may (as situations arise), deem it necessary to make changes as needed.