Fumigants

Paul Cherubini paulcher at concentric.net
Mon Apr 19 16:26:46 EDT 1999


Citheronia at aol.com wrote:
> 
> I need help!! A few minutes ago I just looked in one of my drawers with some
> sphingids (they hadn't been looked at for some time) and several of my
> sphingids were totally ruined!! (fortunately nothing that can't be replaced).
> The case is a fairly large one, so I figure that I didn't put in enough
> fumigant in there to begin with. I was wondering if anyone knows of a
> fumigant or something that is readily available that would kill all the
> dermestids in there. Something that I'd be able to get really quickly and
> easily. Thanks for your help.....

Vapona (dichlorvos) is a vapor-type organophosphorous insecticide often called a 
fumigant that is used in food processing plants and food storage warehouses to kill 
dermestid beetles.

You can buy it in the form of those $6.00 no pest resin strips at most Walmart style 
garden centers. The usual use is for house fly control at the rate of 1 strip per 1000 cubic 
feet.
You'd have to use it much more concentrated than that to kill those tough dermestid 
beetles - probably about 1 strip per 10-50 cubic feet!  If you are willing to do this for a 
day or two in a cabinet that will never be occupied by humans or pets, it could work -- 
after all its just an extrapolation of the type of Vapona applications that are done in 
routinely in plants and warehouses around the country that store dry food items like flour, 
grains, bird seed, dried fruits, nuts, etc.--to prevent dermestids from infesting foods. 

Vapona, fortunately, doesn't have that knock-you-to-the-ground odor of moth balls.

Paul Cherubini


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