Destructive bug infestation threatens historic 1,000-year-old book collection

Thousands of historic books are in jeopardy over a massive bug infestation that could annihilate centuries-long of historical records The Pannonhalma Archabbey in Hungary is a Benedictine monastery that is working to save books from drugstore beetles according to The Associated Press AP About handbound books are being removed by restoration workers to start a disinfection process that would kill any bugs that have nested in the pages VOYAGE HOT SPOT SEEKS EMERGENCY DECLARATION OVER MASSIVE BUG INFESTATIONThe beetles were uncovered in a section of the UNESCO World Heritage Site that houses volumes which makes up a quarter of the books in the library Zs fia Edit Hajdu the chief restorer on the project informed AP they've never seen such an infestation before This is an advanced insect infestation which has been detected in several parts of the library so the entire collection is classified as infected and must be treated all at the same time revealed Hajdu Drugstore beetles are also called cigarette beetles For more Lifestyle articles visit foxnews com lifestyleThey commonly infest tobacco products according to Oklahoma State University extension OSU Adult beetles are yellowish to reddish brown with oval-shaped shapes stretching about inch long and can infest leather They have been known to damage the leaves and bindings of books when feeding on the paste says OSU s website The Pannonhalma Archabbey was founded four years before the establishment of the Kingdom of Hungary in according to AP CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTERIt is home to the oldest and most of fundamental collection of books in the country including a complete Bible from the th century Ilona sv nyi director of the Pannonhalma Archabbey library recounted AP that whenever she enters the building she is humbled When I see a book chewed up by a beetle or infected in any other way I feel that no matter how a multitude of copies are published and how replaceable the book is a piece of heritage has been lost reported sv nyi The Associated Press contributed to this description