Re: [PestList] Proper freezing temps for pest mitigation

[Jill Gordon]

You misunderstood the email string.  The rug is not mine.   I am a PhD entomologist with a consulting business that specializes in pest management without pesticides.  I work with a lot of art collectors and museums and know that temperature (freezing and heat) has mixed results when dealing with all the life cycle phases seen in the moths and beetles that infest wool, feathers, hair, etc..  freezing must bevfonevatca rapid rate that moths do not have the ability to adapt to and heat can DEFINITELY damage fine wools and their dyes. I recommend this treatment (under the guidance of a licensed operator) as dichlorvos (as a true gas) leaves no residue  - therefore does not damage museum quality wools and natural fabrics and penetrates and kills eggs, larvae, pupae and adult moths… Dr. Jill Gordon  Mantis Consulting On Apr 16, 2025, at 5:48 PM, 'Anderson, Gretchen' via MuseumPests <pestlist@googlegroups.com> wrote: Hi Jill.    We generally do not recommend using pesticides of any kind except as a last resort.  Most pesticides are highly restricted because of their health risks (DDVP is a nerve toxin among other things). Many pesticides will cause damage to the object.  As mentioned in an earlier message, a pesticide must be applied by a licensed pest control practitioner. Please use this as your last resort.   Your best bet is to freeze or heat your rug.  Heating requires a relatively low temperature – 55 deg. C (130 deg. F) and will require less time than freezing.  It is easy to rig this up.  Freezing is what I use most frequently.  If using either of these methods – follow the instructions.  Wrap the rug in 2 layers of plastic and seal the plastic.  This will prevent loss of moisture.  Either of these methods would work well for your rug.   If you freeze do not do a double freeze – leave it in the freezer for a longer time.   You should also know that none of these methods kill the eggs at 100% . Go to Solutions | Museumpests.net for specifics treatment protocols and other suggestions. There are several other suggested treatments listed.    Finally, once you have treated the rug, it must be cleaned.  Use a HEPA vacuum, along with a tweezers to remove all dead insects, frass and webbing. This will help keep it pest free in the future.     I have one question for you.  How did it come to be infested?  Do you know where the pests came from?  You should think about that so you do not return it to an infested space. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Good luck! Gretchen Anderson       From: pestlist@googlegroups.com <pestlist@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Jill Gordon Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2025 2:10 PM To: pestlist@googlegroups.com Subject: Re: [PestList] Proper freezing temps for pest mitigation   CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. How big is the rug?  IF - it is not too large and IF you have a good pest control company, you can do a “mini fumigation” with DDVP strips placed into  sealed 4mm plastic covering. Keep the rug with a few strips sealed in a warm place for 2 weeks and have the pest control company take it outdoors and “air it out” using respirators and goggles to do so.  The gas penetrates the fibers and kills all life stages as a fumigation does.  Dichlorvos is a “true gas” just as Vikane is.  DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS WITHOUT THE HELP OF A LICENSED PEST CONTROL COMPANY.   Dichlorvos (as used in Nuvan strips) is a restricted use pesticide - not for untrained folks to handle.          On Apr 16, 2025, at 12:57 PM, Voron, Joel <jvo...@cwf.org> wrote:   On paper yes those temperatures could work but I would do two cycles with a few months bagged and observe period if you don’t need the object right away and only if that’s your last resort. I would lobby for a proper colder freezer in a secure location though. For example it’s a security risk to treat an object in say a cafeteria freezer or an outside freezer not in a secured location even if it has a padlock on the door.  Jist the action of moving an object from one building to another part of the campus invites risk. Also  the benefit of future use of a freezer just to prevent pest issues is such a plus. I would try to get buy in to purchase one. Doesn’t hurt to ask and if they shoot you down then maybe ask again in a year or so. JTV    Get Outlook for iOS From: pestlist@googlegroups.com <pestlist@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Wendi Field Murray <wmurra...@wesleyan.edu> Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2025 12:18:16 PM To: pestlist@googlegroups.com <pestlist@googlegroups.com> Subject: [PestList] Proper freezing temps for pest mitigation   [CAUTION: This message originated from outside the Foundation. Do not click links, open attachments or take action unless you know the contents are safe] Hello,     We recently received a woven woolen rug for our collection that shows signs of clothes moth activity (frass, casings, eggs) and we would like to mitigate with a low-temperature treatment before cleaning and introducing to our collections storage space. According to Museumpests, the ideal temperature should be sustained -20 F for 72 hours, though I cannot find a freezer on our campus that gets below a range of -10 to 10 F. Is this sufficient, or is there too big a risk they would survive the treatment at that temperature?    Just need to know if there is wiggle room in the temp recommendations, or if I can justify a request from my institution for a colder freezer and/or anoxic treatment.   Thank you! Wendi   <image001.png> 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 visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/BL0PR04MB4594937F63AB0A8A12471040C8BD2%40BL0PR04MB4594.namprd04.prod.outlook.com.   --  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 visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/CH3PR20MB7304458FAD35DF4B296CDAD0DCBD2%40CH3PR20MB7304.namprd20.prod.outlook.com.   Dr. Jill Gordon Urban Entomologist Mantis Consulting 86 Crease Rd Mt. Olive NJ 07828 (973) 945-1776 drjil...@gmail.com   -- 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 visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/EA84344C-8FA6-4440-BD30-DB4CA5BE17AF%40gmail.com. The information contained in this message and/or attachments is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. 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