Hi Wendi, Perhaps a gamma ray facility will help you sterilize the soil before installing them in your exhibit space. My university uses gamma rays to treat objects and the technique is very safe.
Good luck! Ana Carolina Delgado Vieira Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia - MAE/USP Laboratório de Conservação e Restauro Tel/Fax:(11) 3091-4695 E-mail: ana.carolina.vie...@usp.br Em qui., 18 de abr. de 2024 às 17:42, Wendi Field Murray < wmurra...@wesleyan.edu> escreveu: > Hello all, > > I have run into a strange predicament and could use some advice. I > manage an East Asian art collection – the historic house/building has both > gallery and collections storage spaces, and for the past few years we have > had some pest issues (mostly carpet beetles and wood pests, in one of the > collections storage spaces). If exhibits in the gallery do not relate to > collections I manage, then I am not consulted on the gallery exhibitions > (usually curated by students). But imagine my surprise when I found out > that the latest student exhibition included 15 bucketfuls of soil collected > from a local riverbank and spread across the gallery floor 😊 We have > since remedied the communication issues that led to this (I will now be > looped in), but I obviously have major concerns about the introduction of > pests, eggs, etc. in the building as a result (in one 20-minute period, I > found two live insects and 2 dead ones in this small gallery). In case it > is helpful, the installation was in late February, but I did not find out > about it until two weeks ago. > > > > The curators have been very understanding about the risk this poses to the > collections and are willing to rehab the exhibit in whatever way eliminates > or mitigates the pest risk (though it was installed in Feb, so I expect > much of the damage re: hatching and escapees is already done). As they > brainstorm solutions, they are asking if there is a way to sterilize the > soil so that the exhibit can stay intact. > > > > Can anyone advise on what non-chemical sterilization techniques would be > sufficient to eliminate the pest risk if the soil were to stay? I am > leaning toward an option that removes the soil altogether (or at least > encapsulates it), but wanted to get people’s thoughts since they asked me > this question directly. I have no idea if baking or steaming soil is > sufficient for ridding it of pests, eggs, larvae, etc. > > Be > > > > Thanks for your patience as you read through my weird problem – I would be > so appreciative of any direction you could provide! > > > > Best, > Wendi > > > > *WENDI FIELD MURRAY, PHD* > > COLLECTIONS MANAGER/REPATRIATION COORDINATOR, Archaeology & Anthropology > Collection > > COLLECTIONS MANAGER, East Asian Art & Archival Collection > > Wesleyan University | Olin Library > Exley Science Center, 301 | Middletown, CT 06459 > P. 860 685-2085 > > pronouns: she/her/hers > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MuseumPests" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to pestlist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/BL0PR04MB45949AC6E431B968DEBD7321C80E2%40BL0PR04MB4594.namprd04.prod.outlook.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/BL0PR04MB45949AC6E431B968DEBD7321C80E2%40BL0PR04MB4594.namprd04.prod.outlook.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MuseumPests" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to pestlist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/CANy5a5krpE%2BAw6GcdrsZ3DZ6NtuX8q9avZWyLhF58q_X70hHWw%40mail.gmail.com.
