dermestids and microwaves

[Robin Panza]

>Has anybody tried eliminating desmestid attack from non-pinned beetles
>by putting them in the kitchen=B4s microwave ?
>
>I did a test with a short 20 sec shock to some dermestid larvae with
>inmediate death, but would the genital structures of the beetles be OK ?
>Never mind the dermestid ones =21.    (Please do not put pinned insects in
>the MW.)  If somebody out there has experience with this would they let
>me know please.


This isn't quite the information you're looking for, but the herbarium at
University of California at Santa Barbara tried putting adult (either=20
dermestids or cigarette beetles, but I think it was the former) in a microw=
ave
and it seemed to have no effect, even after a couple of minutes.  They were=
 too
small to convert the microwaves to heat. =20

Robin Panza                             panzar=40clpgh.org
Section of Birds, Carnegie MNH
Pittsburgh  PA  15213  USA