desinfextion

[joachim]

Hello everyone!
How to proceed? Disinfection of boxes.
I have received some time ago several hundred butterflies from vietnam, these prepared and since I had no space these first in cardboard boxes housed. Now I have bought new boxes and noticed that some butterflies were attacked by pests (bacon beetle). I then disinfected them with gasoline and cold spray ( I hope I got them all ), but do not dare to put the butterflies in my boxes and infect existing butterflies.

I have lightly sprayed empty boxes and heated them in the microwave, this should have killed beetles and eggs, but needled moths I can not heat in the microwave. (i.e. once but then it is broken).
Rinsing with hot water is an option, but the cardboard then suffers.
My idea now is to heat the boxes in the oven. Question: How long and at what temperature should I heat the boxes. Inside is a foam layer or styrofoam insert.
Thanks for tips.
By the way, I was thinking about impregnating the butterflies, we have something here called rubbing alcohol, alcohol with camphor, but Adam said that the camphor evaporates. Does anyone have any ideas?
thank you joachim

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[Paul K]

Insert box into a large ziploc bag and freeze it for few days, unfreeze, wait couple of day and freeze again for few days. Double freeze make sure all adults, larvae and newly hatched larvae from possible eggs will die.
Wait 24 hrs before you remove box from the bag after you take out of the freezer to avoid condensation.

[adamcotton]

You should wait at least 7 days between the two rounds of freezing. Eggs do not die when frozen but will hatch within a week after warming them up again, and the small larvae will die in the re-freeze.

Adam.

PS. I think Joachim once said that he doesn't have access to a freezer.

[joachim]

Thanks but i have no possibility to freeze Them, the small refrigurator WE have ist for food especially ice cream and pizza and i have over 100 boxes

[Paul K]

Thanks but i have no possibility to freeze Them, the small refrigurator WE have ist for food especially ice cream and pizza and i have over 100 boxes

Go to the nearest restaurant which is equipped with build in freezer ask them if you could place your boxes somewhere in the corner, maybe pay small fee or have dinner few times.

[vabrou]

I have written numerous dozens of times regarding the use of heat to accelerate the drying of spread insect specimens. I developed this technique nearly a half century ago because I have operated ~500 insect traps over the past 54 years and have spread insects 365-366 days every year. I quickly realized that one of the unexpected benefits beyond a shorter drying time was the fact that continuously using the low oven temperature (~115°F) = 46°Celsius, after two days exposure completely eliminated adult, larvae and ova of all pests. The reason this method kills the pests is that the prolonged temperature desiccates them. No chemicals are needed. See jpg illustrating pinning boards in my oven I have used for about 40 years. Also all of the near million papered specimens I have processed also received this same low temperature treatment immediately after papering (see upper shelf in oven) and before long term storage for accelerated drying and pest elimination.

If you decide to use this method, do not ever exceed (~115°F) = 46°Celsius. Higher temperature will cause insects to leach out body lipids (fats) and your specimens will outwardly become greasy. I recommend avoiding more than 4 continuous days of oven exposure.

Using freezing is a poor method for pest control, as this exposes the specimens to moisture and regardless attempts to protect them during freezing causes droopy wings especially noticeable in spread lepidoptera. Moisture later can cause specimens to grow molds and fungus. Use of this rapid drying method also required a new specialized procedure of securely holding down nearly all of the wings surfaces of the freshly spread lepidoptera with light card stock during the drying process, as exhibited in the second image.

[vabrou]

Added bit of info to what I wrote earlier. It is necessary that freshly captured insects not be placed into oven drying until 48 hours after remaining at ambient temperatures and drying conditions. Otherwise the soft exoskeleton will collapse before remaining rigid during the rapid drying technique. For orthoptera and similar large bodied insects with soft exoskeletons, possibly four days or more of ambient temperature drying is needed before placing into an oven. There are no steadfast rules for these methods under varying conditions. Experimentation will guide your methods for your particular circumstance. As a cost-saving measure sometimes I will often wait until I have 1000 linear inches of spread specimens on pinning boards before I place them into oven drying. Additional ambient drying conditions only helps in the oven drying process. My illustrated oven was self designed by me and fabricated for me by a commercial laboratory oven manufacturer back in the early 1980s.

[joachim]

Hello,

thank you very much for the detailed answer.
Unfortunately it does not help me, I live in a small apartment and we need the freezer as well as the oven. Besides, my wife will beat me up if I "abuse" it for such purposes.

So the only option is to put such a box in the oven for 20-30 minutes. Maybe 50 degrees Celsius should be enough. I have to take the risk because I am afraid that they will infest parts of the collection. As I said, I put some live bacon beetles (Dermestes lardarius or subspecies) in such a box, sprayed some water and heated for 2 minutes at 800 watts. The poor critters did not survive.
I will test this with some cheap butterflies that I have several times and then report back.

Thanks and greetings Joachim

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[vabrou]

FYI....... NEVER EVER under any circumstances expose any of your dried specimens to any amount of water for any reason for even one second, whatsoever. 50°Celsius ??? Perhaps you didn't read my previous info. Perhaps you think I am making up what I have said? Any exposure above 46°Celsius is folly. This novel approach works on the premise of low temperature exposure over a prolonged time, thus desiccating the pests. The temperature of 46°Celsius is the maximum exposure I have found, perhaps 45°Celsius or 44°Celsius is better for you. One must have a finely tuned temperature thermostat within an enclosure to use this heat treatment procedure I write about. Close or in the ballpark are insufficient and you will fail. This procedure has been successfully used/proven by me in excess of 473,000 hours over the past half century. What you haven't considered is that what appears to be a great idea initially, within weeks/months suddenly the deleterious and irreversible effects of such methods will begin to progressively appear. Also do not ever expose any museum materials to one of the numerous commercial home use products (ant, roach, wasp) sprays, e.g. 'RAID', as these chemicals are neurotoxic to any living creatures including and most importantly the users. Once applied, you will eventually expose yourself to these neurotoxins each future time you touch or handle the specimen containers. Also these products are almost always (sprayed) applied using petroleum which if the specimen containers are treated, these light aerosol oils will rapidly transfer to the stored biological specimens, thus permanently and irreversibly destroying them.

Here in the US, we have easy access to paradichlorobenzene (moth crystals). This chemical will always kill 100% of live adults and larvae of any type or species of museum pest within 1-2 days of exposure. This is my 'go to' pest control chemical. Additionally, there are numerous more restrictive pest chemicals created specifically for and utilized by museums to eliminate and use for routine pest treatments (not generally available for use by the non-museum public). You may want to search the valid scientific literature on this specific subject of pest control of museum materials. Actually there are world-wide organizations of museum professionals whose reason for existing is the dissemination of technical literature concerning known museum pest controls. I was a member of such of an organization for several decades. And by the way, 'Moth balls' (naphthalene) is totally and completely useless in these matters. Also, use of any of these chemicals on a constant basis (months/years) will evaporate from the solid state (granules, briquettes) to vapor and will resolidify onto your biological materials. So avoid permanent very long term exposure to these products. Many of these products will permanently bleach your specimens and this occurs very gradually over years. I have been consulted by insectariums and museums over the decades and have made these same warnings. Consequently, disregarding my recommendations within two years every single insect specimen in exposed displays was completely devoid of any color, being totally white, even brown and black beetles. Lastly, stored specimens should ****'alway' be kept in total darkness. Ever think why museums have glass drawers in sealed cabinets. Ultraviolet light will destroy your specimens over prolonged time. Placing glass topped specimen drawers in the darkest corner of a room is why most such collections are eventually discarded. Pests controls, humidity controls, temperature controls, light exposure controls are all part of viable biological specimen collections.

These are things for careful thought and consideration. These are my lifelong proven recommendations. What makes them relevant is they are not anecdotal hearsay or conjecture. If your situation dictates your inability to adhere to these guidelines, you might want to consider that in all probability you will still be dealing with these same matters 20, 40, 60 years from now, and if it survives, what will your collections look like then. Any monies you wisely spend now will be recouped in the future by the ever increasing monetary value of your collections. attached collection is a tiny example of the numerous billions of insects I have personally captured and processed.

[inopinatus]

Hi,
Do you know if there is an impact on future DNA analysis if the material has been subjected to long term desiccation ( below 46 Celsius?)
Best regards
Emmanuel

[Jshuey]

Hi,
Do you know if there is an impact on future DNA analysis if the material has been subjected to long term desiccation ( below 46 Celsius?)
Best regards
Emmanuel

Yes. I used a drying oven early in my career, and then later had some of those bugs "barcoded". They failed dramatically - which I attribute to the heat. Not exactly definitive, but a reason that I would not consider using a drying ever again.

John

[boghaunter1]

Hi Jshuey,

Excellent point on destroying DNA with supplemental heat, which many of us may not have even considered. I've never liked the idea of cooking bugs in an oven... except, perhaps, in rare instances, in very humid jungles... to prevent rot/pest infestation of larger bodied specimens.

John K.

[joachim]

I recomend
https://www.pemberleybooks.com/product/ ... cts/50852/


English is not my native language, but to read it makes appetite.

But back to the topic: Yes, I read and understood everything, but it was the disinfection of empty, I repeat, EMPTY boxes, where infested moths were inside before. Many I put in the trash can, but some I disinfected in the microwave for 2 minutes at 750 watts. Mean as I am,I left some live bacon beetles in there and found them dead. I fitted some boxes with Styrofoam, noticing the beetles had drilled holes in them. Good, they went in the trash.
I can't put butterflies in the microwave unless I remove the needle, which makes possible damage, and putting the needle back in is not so easy either.
Solution would be needles made of plastic (????) Are there somewhere ?

Most of the boxes I bought from a dealer who also makes boxes ( entomological needs ), and $7 is too expensive for me to throw away, especially since I could also disinfect the boxes yes well.
But the problem: I have an infected moth or suspected infected butterfly, what can be done?
I have some soaked with gasoline ( DNA is not so interested ) or treated with cold spray. That makes -42 Celsius . I don't think larvae or eggs will survive that.
Yes I have paradichlorobenzene and tentatively, put some butterflies in a tight good box with a portion of it. After 6 weeks or so the critters were crawling inside and I disposed of the butterflies. ( Mostly I have those 42*50 boxes.
Unfortunately, I'm not wealthy enough to have a house with basements where I could set something up (happy to take donations.... Haha )
I only have a stove, a microwave and sometimes time.


By the way, I don't think 44 degrees Celsius kills insects. Or over a long period of time?
In some parts of the world it's almost 50 degrees now, and butterflies and spiders don't fall from the sky.
Or how was that meant?

Thank you for your comments, Joachim

[joachim]

P.S. Another joke:I bought these mothballs but when I try to hit a moth with them, I mostly miss.

https://www.ebay.de/itm/314748022775?_t ... %3A2047675

[Paul K]

These are Naphthaline balls that you use which are 100% useless, they will not kill anything.
The temperature of 46°C will not kill pests, it’s the environment where they are, exposed to prolong dry air in the oven.

[Cassidinae]

Vabrou, can you please list the specific chemicals used by some museum workers? Paradichlorobenzene is reliable, but it's a carcinogen. That's why it's mostly not used anymore.

[vabrou]

Cassidinae --- Museums do not use paradichlorobenzene in recent decades. The chemicals I spoke of are numerous dozens of specialty ones not generally available to the public but created for and used by museums today. You would need to get the latest literature on this specific subject of museum pest control as new ones are always being developed.

I personally use paradichlorobenzene in my more than 1000 drawers and storage containers, as it has worked 100% of the time for the past 50 years. The bad effects of paradichlorobenzene are slow and cumulative in comparison to more deadly ones. And it is always available to the general public at low cost. The only other chemical used in museums for a few centuries is cyanides (as a fumigating gas), but this one has gone into the trash bin of fumigants as these other new formulations have appeared on the scene, never minding the immediate deadly consequence of exposure to breathing this chemical. Regarding cyanide, I have personally used about 2,000 pounds of this chemical 24 hours every day since 1975, but not for pest control within an enclosed structure. I have used it in all of the hundreds of insect traps I operate outdoors. Use of this deadly chemical internally in an enclosed structure requires 100% exclusion of anything living, e.g. people, etc, while fumigation treatment is occurring. I handle cyanide every day of my life since 1975 without protective safety equipment, but using common sense, and I am still living, -- so far that is.

[Cassidinae]

Oh, yeah. But I was only referring to disinfecting the collections. Just some alternative to paradichlorobenzene.

[joachim]

Paul, it was a joke ! I always threw the bullets at the moths, but scored few hits. I now use darts, the hit rate is better!
Joachim