IDM (Integrated Dermestid Management)

[Pierre Zagatti]

Well I've tested everything against these dermestids: dichlorvos,
p-dichlorobenzene, nitrobenzene, strips of tick collars...
There is a privet just in front of the window of the room where
i keep my drawers. Its blossoms attract butterflies and cetonids,
but also adults of Anthrenus in June !
Now the only way to avoid damage is a regular inspection
of your drawers. Having worked for years on moth monitoring
with pheromone traps, I'll try this year to monitor the dermestid
attacks by using traps: on each row of insect drawers I've put
a small clear plastic box (without cover) containing 4 or 5 dried
beetles.
It's very simple to check frequently the occurrence of dermestid frass
in these traps.

I've set up these traps for one month, without any dermestid yet.
If I observe some frass, it will be a signal for a complete inspection
of my drawers. By the way, I hope that with these traps being easily
available
for the Dermestids, the drawers will be more or less _neglected_.

When I notice some suspect frass in a drawer, I use a spray of
pyrethroid
insecticide, deltamethrin or cypermethrin (Baygon). Open the drawer,
spray
at 40 cm for leps, closer for beetles (the solvent used with these
insecticides does not
damage the wings) and quickly close the drawer. The dermestid larvae
will fall down
immediately, due to the 'knock down' effect of pyrethroids, but they're
still alive. So open
the drawer again and pick up the larvae with forceps.

With this system I've no permanent release of insecticides in my insect
drawers,
which is important since the same room is used as bedroom for visiting
friends !

--
Pierre ZAGATTI
INRA Unite de Phytopharmacie et Mediateurs Chimiques
78026 Versailles Cedex
FRANCE
Tel: (33) 1 30 83 31 18
e-mail zagatti at versailles.inra.fr
http://www.jouy.inra.fr/papillon/