Ridding of booklice? And how bad are they?

[sappet102]

When I let my insects dry, they are on some books due to lack of space. A while ago I found a very small gray bug crawling on a butterfly. I immediately killed it. I found another one crawling on a viceroy I had today, and went to grab tweezers to kill it but it vanished when I got back. Not sure where it went, could it crawl inside the butterfly by chance? Or if it is not visible anywhere on it, did it crawl off? I am assuming these are booklice. They are very very small, very hard to see. I checked the specimens in my shadowbox but did not see anything. If I cannot see anything after a thorough examination, does that mean they are not there? Or can they eat their way inside the butterflies and hide? I saw no visible damage at all. I moved all the drying specimens away from the books. Maybe these are not book lice? Not sure how big they are supposed to be but these are hard to see. Will placing mothballs in the shadowbox help deter them? I also keep the butterflies in a room where humidity is 50% or less. I guess I am really worried, but if I examine each specimen closely before putting them in the shadowbox, should they be alright? This whole ordeal terrifies me honestly. Any advice? Should I put the whole shadowbox in a freezer just to be sure? How long should they freeze for? Also, both times I found the lice they were on drying specimens, not on any in the shadowbox.

[trehopr1]

Indeed, try putting 2-4 mothballs in your shadow box as it likely does not have a tight seal on the back. On a previous thread, regarding brimstone butterflies the topic of book lice came up and you will find some useful information there on how to protect your drying specimens. I'm certain that is what you observed walking about on your specimens. Avoid placing drying boards on books or the shelves that hold them.

[sappet102]

Thank you. I plan on freezing the whole box once all the specimens are in, but for now I put a bag of moth balls in it (about 50 balls in the bag I believe, is that too many?). The shadowbox has an opening front so it is definitely not air tight. I am working on making it air tight. I have only ever seen two, should I be worried? I just worked really hard all summer collecting and preparing these so I am worried a bit

[trehopr1]

Yes, I would say that is a bit "over the top" in terms of fumigation ! Just 2-4 needed as mentioned and just run some tape across any fine gaps or cracks. Replace the naphthalene when it becomes a quarter of it's normal size.
Freezing is only required if you see or think that something pest related is going on.

[sappet102]

Got ya! Thanks so much! I left th e house now but I will take some moth balls out when I get home. Is that amount of moth balls enough to damage my specimens???