InsectNet forum

Hello,
I had a problem and was thinking about
something that perhaps many of you have.
A box of butterflies was almost completely destroyed by bacon beetles (I hadn't looked for a long time). Luckily no valuable things.
What struck me was that 2 very old butterflies from 1976 or 1977 were totally fine. ( 2 Papilio ).
Do the beetles have a special appetite?
My thought is whether you can impregnate butterflies if you can do without DNA testing and without resin.
I know, freeze the box, preferably -50 degrees Celsius but I only have a small apartment and our freezer is for vanilla ice cream.
As the boxes are in my office, paradichlorobenzene (which I have, stinks and is toxic) is out of the question. If so, how long do I have to keep it in a box at normal temperature to kill all the beetles including the eggs? A
Thanks for tips, when I have a lot of money I will buy a mobile home for my modest collection, but at the moment there is only a balcony.
Joachim

Bacon beetles? ok. I have also noticed a choosy palate when it comes to pests, why some specimens get infested and others don't is interesting,
I dispatch pretty much everything the same way, so it's not that giving the beetles a bad taste.
Remember that some pests have extended life cycle and may take more than a single treatment.
You can't go wrong with vanilla! I too, am waiting for the money.

Many species (such as Papilio antimachus or Zygaenidae sp) contain toxic substances and are very rarely attacked by pests.
I have kept a small collection of Zygaenidae in a poorly closing cardboard box for over 15 years.
No pesticides have been used.
There is not the slightest sign of damage.
Andreas