I have thought of a method but I would like to contrast it with other experiences.
Hello,
You need a closed, air-conditioned room equipped with a moisture absorber to avoid any risk of degradation due to moisture and parasites.
About transport the best method is to use XXL Ziploc bags with humidity absorber.
Regards
Olivier
I assume that you are talking short-term. For the long-term – you need to do what Oliver says and completely dry your material out.
Short term, I’d do two things. You need to dry the bugs out as much as possible. The bugs don’t need to be completely dry – but you need to get the water content down to avoid “rot” or mold. Two ways to do this. Use a desiccant in an airtight container to pull the moisture content down as rapidly as possible. You can recharge silica crystals on a stove and use them over and over again to do the initial drying stage.
I typically air dry bugs in an open container in a warm place using an ant-proof arrangement (three beer bottles, standing in a water-filled bowl, prop up a container with my bugs in them). If the room is warm and there is good air movement, insects dry out pretty quickly this way.
Then you need to store your “damp bugs” in something that is air-tight with a mold deterrent like p-Chlorocresol. This will keep material in great shape for quite a while. I’ve consistently pulled bar codes off material stored like this for up to a month in the field.
Once you get the beetles into a controlled environment – dry them out quickly
John
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