Hungary’s Oldest Library Races to Rescue Books From Hungry Beetles

Libraries are normally sanctuaries of calm and quiet, but one historic institution in Hungary has been flung into chaos by a destructive horde of uninvited guests: book-eating beetles.

The establishment in question is the Pannonhalma Archabbey. The Benedictine monastery has been around for a millennium, and it houses some of the country’s oldest book collections and most important written documents. It’s even been deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its historical and cultural significance. 

Recently, employees raised concerns over the building’s state when they noticed abnormal layers of dust and small holes in the books. When the workers opened the volumes, they could see where tiny drugstore beetles, also known as bread beetles, had chewed through the pages. These brown insects normally prefer chomping their way through dried goods, such as grains, seeds, and flour. That said, they also thrive on non-food materials, including leather, wool, hair, drugs (hence their name)—and, of course, books.

The gelatin and starch-based adhesives in books are what really get their appetites going, according to the Associated Press. So far, the drugstore beetles have been found in a section of the Pannonhalma Archabbey that holds about one quarter of the library’s inventory.

Now restoration workers are racing to exterminate the insects from the abbey and save as many books as possible. They must transfer roughly 100,000 handbound volumes into crates, which will then be moved to nitrogen-filled sacks where they’ll sit for six weeks. Once the time is up, each book will need to be vacuumed and inspected for lingering bugs before being placed back on the shelf. Any damaged books will be set aside for future restoration. 

The Pannonhalma Archabbey may be one UNESCO World Heritage Site you’ve never heard of. You can learn about more of the cultural wonders here.

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