Help - molding collection in the tropics

[John Shuey]

I was just at a field station in Belize which has a nice "butterfly display"
with data in their classroom (~200 specimens).  But it has two major
problems that will ultimately destroy it - so I'm looking for ideas about
how to at least prolong its life by several years.

It is housed in a less than air-tight display case with a hinged glass lid -
it probably has about the same surface area as 5 Cornell drawers.

Problem one - psocids are eating it alive - I though I would just send a
couple of no-pest strips and that should wipe out the extra insects.. no?  I
also though I would send some adhesive weather stripping down, so that maybe
they could get a seal in place.

Problem two - mold.  Because of the humidity (the station is in a small
clearing in premontane rainforest), mold is hitting the collection pretty
hard.  Two things come to mind.  I could send some desiccant, but they would
have to constantly change and dry it out (this is a really damp place).
And, if could send something that would at least kill the current batch of
mold, that would help a lot - but I have no idea what that something might
be.

Any ideas or alternate solutions???

Champion of lost causes,
John
_________________
John Shuey
Director of Conservation Science
Indiana Office of The Nature Conservancy


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