Ken:

I've had a similar idea.  I am more interested in developing a
collection of the insects commonly found in our museum that staff
members, volunteers etc can use in the event that they spot an insect
and I'm not around.  I haven't devoted much time to the project but I
have developed a good collection of the odd beetle -- larval, male and
female adults plus a few other dermestids.

I think it's important to collect other commonly found insects -- even
tho' they may not damage the collections.  Staff, volunteers etc can't
tell the difference between the benign and detrimental insect.  I'm also
collecting some common insects that we find in the museum  -- e.g. rove
beetles and other predatory insects.

I'm not sure a generic insect collection would be as useful.  For us, a
collection that includes cockroaches won't do us much good -- our
climate is too dry and they are rarely found in our region of Idaho.

You might try contacting your local university, maybe you can find an
entomology student willing to develop an "Alaska" collection.

Sincerely,
Jane
--
Jane C. MacKnight
Registrar and Collections Manager
Idaho Museum of Natural History
http://www.isu.edu/departments/museum
http://www.westmuse.org