"Ah----the power of Cedar Oil"

Try using the products below to repel dermestids. Warning:::: the drawers have to be free of dermestids.

The Cedar Oil is only a repellent is will not kill existing pests.  The idea is to keep them from getting in one's drawers and also to use something which is not as harmful as some of the other fumigants.

The next page has pics of the various looks of doing it.

PDB (para- dichlorobenzene), Naphthaline, Vapona etc. etc. etc. all seem to have detrimental effects in that each has been noted as having carcinogenic qualities. I, for one, am tired of constantly trying to protect the collection and also consider my personal health. The answer (now being investigated by me on a big scale) is Cedar Oil. Yes, Cedar Oil as an alternative to harsher carcinogenic fumigants is actively being proposed to use.
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What follows is both the experiment I am currently engaged in and the research I have been doing on the topic. My goal is to protect my drawers and exhibit boxes and also reduce the potential harm to my liver and other body parts, which might be affected by the fumes over a long period of time.
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First, Cedar Oil is non-toxic. It is harmless to humans with only a few cautions listed from the various sources I investigated. It should not be used by pregnant women, should not get in the eyes, is not intended for drinking, and can be irritating if too much gets onto the skin in too-high a concentration. It was made clear that some amounts are fine on the skin and that individual tolerances may vary. Some non-DEET insect repellents actually have a percentage of Cedar Oil.
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The EPA lists CedarCide as a minimum risk pesticide (ruling 40 CFR 152.25b Food Quality Protection Act of 1996).
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Use of Cedar Oil REPELS non-beneficial insects and has no real effect on beneficial insects. Non-beneficial insects are ones that are pheromone-driven and not sight-driven. Sight-driven insects, like bees and butterflies, are not effected by Cedar Oil. Insects like dermestids and clothes moths which, are primarily pheromone-driven, are effected. It is these insects that I am attempting to REPEL from getting into the collection. The presence of Cedar Oil causes problems with the normal pheromonal functioning of these insects and thus is not an environment they prefer to exist in.
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Since Cedar Oil REPELS, and does not kill, it is imperative that one’s drawers are free of such invaders as moths and dermestids. When I removed my two Vapona squares from each drawer, I was sure no pests were present. It was reported in several sources that Cedar Oil loses its potency and must be reapplied to be effective.
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I purchased CedarCide PCO Choice from CedarCide Industries, Inc., P.O. Box 549, Spring, TEXAS 77383, 1-800-842-1464, owner--( Dave Glassel ) dave@cedarcide.com. The product I ordered was called PCO Choice Insect Control Concentrate which sold for $75 for a quart. This quart will last me a LONG time, in that dilution with water is highly recommended. This is a concentrated Cedar Oil which many other products are not. Mixing such a concentrate properly will provide direct results without inert/unecessary ingredients that are commonly found in other similar products containing 'some' Cedar Oil.
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Dave Glassel (owner of CedarCide) was helpful and provided many tips on proper usage. He manufactures and sells just this CedarCide product and is indeed knowledgeable about it. When I purchased it, I was tempted to use it full strength and he quickly pointed out that it is best to dilute it so as to make the macro-molecules of oil become micro-molecules of oil which then are much more readily air-borne acting as a repellent fumigant. He also pointed out that the Cedar smell we humans smell is NOT the same one that repels insects. The chemical components to Cedar Oil are: a-cedrene, b-cedrene, thujopsene, sesquiterpenes, cedrol, and widdrol. One of these chemical properties is especially repulsive to dermestids and the like. Interestingly, it was recently even discovered by chemists that the Egyptians used Cedar Oil, not Juniper Oil, for the embalming process of mummification.
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I decided to take Cedar Oil in a mixture and place two CedarCide Cork-Ez squares in each drawer (see photo 1 ). I was not content that the cork (already having Cedar Oil in it) was enough, so I added four big drops of the diluted mixture onto the square. I also decided to paint the mixture around the lip of where the drawer lid fits into the drawer (see photos 2 and 3). Note that the blue line points to the (soon-to-be-removed)Vapona while the red lines indicate where I 'painted' the Cedar Oil mixture in Photo 3. Each square is dipped (on the sticky side only) into dry plaster of paris so as to neutralize the sticky adhesive backing. I’d prefer not to have it accidentally stick to some insect or insect part when placing in drawer. The square is then pinned with a size #4 pin for strength (see photo 4 ), dipped in the jar of powdery plaster of paris, and then placed in the drawer where the drops are added.
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I was given the recommendation to mix my Cedar Oil (PCO Choice) at a ratio of 1 to 2 tsp, of Oil to 1 qt. of water (I used distilled water). I did a ratio of 2 tsp. to 1 qt. of distilled water. This is the ratio I used for both the cork squares and the groove ‘painting’ I did around the edges of the drawer. Dave thought this (at two drops) would easily last 6 or so months in a tightly closed specimen box. I am doing four drops on two squares per drawer and painting the rim where the top fits the drawer. I am planning to ‘recharge’ the Cedar Oil drops/painting every four months or so.
**This collector is also considering putting a couple of mixture drops on the drawer cork squares each and every time a drawer lid is taken off. It is pretty easy to do with a medicine dropper.** I might also do a 130 degree to 140 degree hot session for each given drawer either once a year or as I feel the need, should some pests get in. Honestly, if I saw pests in a box (depending on what is in it), I might revert to poison to use as a specific target weapon. I AM trying to see if I can do this without (or with minimal) use of the potent PDBs, Naphthalines, and Vapona materials if I can.
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This is an experiment and is not necessarily the answer. It WILL, no doubt, entail my being much more diligent at checking the collection for evidence of dermestids. Remember, I am trying this with all my insects (USA lepidops, coleops, and even the Ornithoptera). I do admit, however, that a couple of key drawers have slightly increased amounts of the oil mixture---just in case. Note, this extra amount of oil is NOT a higher concentration, but merely additional cork squares with the same ratio mentioned above. The thought of hurting my O. priamus euphorian GOLDENS while I do this is disastrous and thus is NOT a viable option.
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A few of the references/links used are listed next.

http://ag.udel.edu/extension ----------- Entomologist Dewey Caron, College of Agriculture at University of Delaware, 2004

http://mirabilis.ca/archives/001223.html

http://www.essentialoils.co.za/essential-oils/cedarwood.htm

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http://www.cedarcide.com ------- Dave Glassel, owner, (800) 842-1464
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http://www.gardenharvestsupply.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=107&idproduct=302

http://www.ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/htdocs/Chem_Background/ExSumPdf/cedarwood_oil
www.vermontcountrystore.com

www.ag.ndsu.edu/trees/handbook/th-3-173.pdf

http://www.pestproducts.com/insect_repellents.htm

http://www.mountainhomecedar.com/index.php?main_page=why_cedar&zenid=fceca762dcbe0fd35627e7206fd67d2a

http://www.cedaroil.com/

www.lib.uiowa.edu/exhibits/keeping/papers.htm

http://extension.usu.edu/_sites/vicepres/news/aska/mar2201.htm