Beetles threaten books at Hungary’s oldest library

A major beetle infestation has hit Hungary’s 1,000-year-old Pannonhalma Archabbey, threatening 100,000 hand-bound books in one of the country’s oldest and most valuable libraries.

The drugstore beetle, usually found in dry food, was discovered in adhesives used in books. Around a quarter of the abbey’s 400,000 volumes are affected, prompting a full-scale disinfection effort. The books are being crated and sealed in oxygen-free bags for six weeks to kill the insects.

The abbey, a UNESCO World Heritage site founded in 996, houses 19 codices including a complete 13th-century Bible, several hundred pre-printing manuscripts and thousands of rare 16th-century........

© Dawn Young Magazine