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Post by joopes on Aug 15, 2021 6:41:22 GMT -8
How do I prevent carpet beetles and other "museum pests" from eating my collection? Moth balls/moth bars work, but only for a month or so before they entirely sublimate. What can I use that is semi-permanent? I've seen these little yellow things in collections in museums, but I am not sure what they are, and where to get them. Any help would be appreciated.
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Jacob
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Post by Adam Cotton on Aug 15, 2021 8:02:27 GMT -8
It sounds like your boxes are not airtight if pest-deterrents evaporate very quickly. If that is the case it really won't matter what you use for pest control, and you are probably better off trying to prevent pests from getting into the room where your collection is housed.
Adam.
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Post by livingplanet3 on Aug 15, 2021 8:46:15 GMT -8
In my experience, the only guaranteed method of pest prevention in insect collections is to completely prevent them from ever entering the drawers / displays in the first place. Fumigants / deterrents cannot be relied upon to prevent infestation. Physical barriers to entry have now become the standard for institutional collections in museums, etc. I haven't used any fumigants (e.g. moth balls) in over 30 years, partly because they don't last, and partly because they're toxic.
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Post by kevinkk on Aug 16, 2021 16:12:47 GMT -8
Preventing entry with tight cases is best. I use purchased cases with very tight lids, and also use the moth deterrent, the ones I use come
in little packets with 2 discs inside, they do eventually evaporate, but the odor does linger for quite some time if the cases remain closed.
Eventually, my supposition is that sooner or later, as with the chemicals we used to be able to purchase freely, like cyanide, and trichloroethane,
(misspell?) that even moth deterrents are going to be phased out by regulations.
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Post by morphonut on Aug 16, 2021 16:30:14 GMT -8
To finally answer your question try to find Hotshot No Pest strips which are available at Home Depot and some other big hardware stores here in USA. Cut up the strip into 1cm squares using garden pruning shears and put one piece into the inner corner of your drawer or Riker Mount. These last for about a half a year but after using them for many years I now only have to do it once a year as the others remaining in there still have some residual effect. Obviously if you can seal your drawer or Riker to be airtight that would be best but they rarely fit that way so this is the best method I have found. You can also try Cedar Oil which I have heard works and it supposed to be less toxic. I think there are other threads on this subject so try to search here for more info. I hope this helps.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Aug 17, 2021 2:56:45 GMT -8
When you cut the No Pest strips it is ESSENTIAL to wear rubber gloves. NEVER touch the strips with bare hands as the chemicals are absorbed through the skin as well as inhalation.
Adam.
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Post by livingplanet3 on Aug 17, 2021 6:20:27 GMT -8
When you cut the No Pest strips it is ESSENTIAL to wear rubber gloves. NEVER touch the strips with bare hands as the chemicals are absorbed through the skin as well as inhalation. Adam. And needless to say, the shears should be thoroughly cleaned afterward to remove any residue. Personally, I've always kept my distance from Dichlorvos. |
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Post by wollastoni on Aug 17, 2021 6:38:48 GMT -8
Our late friend Danny @deliasfanatic has always suspected no pest strips (dichlorvos) to be the source of the brain cancer that killed him in few months. He spent several hours a day in a room full of drawers with such strips...
I would never use such products...
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Post by kevinkk on Aug 17, 2021 8:36:43 GMT -8
Our late friend Danny @deliasfanatic has always suspected no pest strips (dichlorvos) to be the source of the brain cancer that killed him in few months. He spent several hours a day in a room full of drawers with such strips... I would never use such products... Anything that kills insects, certainly has a possibility of being harmful to other life forms. I remember those "no pest strips" from my childhood, and even then, wondered how they could kill only insects- time after time, we see products pulled from circulation after it's discovered they do more than advertised. |
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Post by trehopr1 on Aug 17, 2021 9:57:45 GMT -8
I recall very well the time of my (junior year) of high school when I remarked to my chemistry teacher that I used ethyl acetate to dispatch my insect specimens.
His remark was always use it in a ventilated situation because "if it can kill insects it will also kill you"; in the right concentration and in an confined space...
So, I have always heeded his wise advice (since it came from a chemist) and I have always exercised caution in my use of it.
I never bothered with no pest strips as a fumigant.
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Post by joopes on Aug 18, 2021 10:24:51 GMT -8
I forgot to mention - these cases are in the same room as live insects, although I also got some advise from someone else to put them in giant ziploc bags after putting the pest deterrent in them. I think that should prevent the chemicals from leeching into the room? it also happenes to be the room I sleep in.
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Jacob
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Post by trehopr1 on Aug 18, 2021 14:08:11 GMT -8
You really should try to keep your sleeping arrangements separate from your collection and your live creatures.
Your live creatures are the essence of the problem in that mites are going to be ever present in the very cages you keep your things in. Booklice
are another thing associated with animal cages as they feed on the detritus (leavings) of food, feces and etc. And then of course, all of this attracts dermestids as well.
Best to keep your live creatures in another space and your collection (separate) as well; and in another space.
It's never any good to be inhaling fumigant fumes of any kind all night long when you go to sleep.
Much of this is really common sense however, I wish you well nonetheless...
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Post by kevinkk on Aug 18, 2021 16:54:53 GMT -8
I forgot to mention - these cases are in the same room as live insects, although I also got some advise from someone else to put them in giant ziploc bags after putting the pest deterrent in them. I think that should prevent the chemicals from leeching into the room? it also happenes to be the room I sleep in. - Jacob I have the same living arrangements. You're in a bad way- at the expense of the usual "expletive" Giant ziploc bags... I'd like to see an 18" x 24" or a 24" x 48" ziploc. Tight fitting cases is your best option, it could be expensive, but without some action, pests will show up eventually. |
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