Now tested, repeating the finditem %beetleID search within 2 tiles until it is found before dropping works reliably. Well, it worked almost every time, the first time it glitched because I had something else performing an event in the background. I don't think that's because of this code though, I turned it off and it worked.
Couple other questions
#1 - Is it a good idea in general to double up the drop line in case the first fails(due to lag, etc)? ie:
exevent dropc %beetleID
exevent dropc %beetleID ;this line is the double to the one above it. Degrades nicely but does it make the script more reliable?
#2 - Is it good to use an ignoreitem after the drop to make sure the script doesn't somehow keep trying to handle a dropped item? This would have the benefit of my being able to dump the item on the ground again and not have it instantly picked up.
Thanks again