Gary Parsons can't help but see the irony in it - hungry insects threatening to destroy parts of a Michigan State University insect collection.

Pesky bugs called carpet beetles are finding their way into MSU's Albert J. Cook Arthropod Research Collection, feeding on and destroying about 10 to 20 specimens every year, said Parsons, the collection manager.

A $187,632 National Science Foundation grant hopefully will help keep the pests at bay, said Anthony Cognato, associate professor of entomology. MSU will use the grant to update aging equipment and create an online database for the collection.
The insect collection houses 1.5 million specimens that date back as far as 1880 and represent 35,000 species from around the world, Cognato said. They are arthropods - insects with exoskeletons, or hard shells.

Most insects are stored on pins in drawers covered by glass lids. But because there's not enough storage space, about 1 percent of the collection's insects are sitting in boxes on shelves and counters, making them more susceptible to infestation, Parsons said.

Carpet beetles lay eggs in the cracks of the collection's aging wood drawers, some of which are more than 50 years old. The small larvae wiggle their way through the cracks and get into the collection, Cognato said. They later mate and lay eggs inside the drawer.

"They eat dead animal tissue and we have a nice supermarket with our collection," he said. "Then all you're left with is a pile of dust and pins."

With the grant money, MSU has ordered 13 new metal cabinets with weather sealant, 1,200 wood drawers with tighter lids and 35,000 cardboard and foam trays, Cognato said.

He said he expects the new equipment to arrive by the beginning of November. It probably will take about two years for students and staff to transfer all the specimens.

"By having them in better storage, it prevents the pests from getting in as frequently," Cognato said. "When we're finished with the grant, every insect specimen will be protected by either a new cabinet or a new drawer, for at least one level of protection. It will greatly decrease our need for constant vigilance."

The collection is housed in six rooms totaling about 5,000 square feet in MSU's Natural Science building, Cognato said.

"The idea is to try to get everything up to a modern standard that we hope will last hundreds of more years," Parsons said.

MSU likely will apply for another National Science Foundation grant in several years to finish replacing the remaining equipment, Cognato said. He said he hopes to have the entire collection totally protected within five to 10 years.