Dear Colleagues, I would greatly appreciate any advice you may have regarding the treatment of a wooden support structure, shaped like a small table (a horizontal top supported by four legs), which shows numerous exit holes and clear evidence of an active wood-boring insect infestation.
A glass display case is screwed onto the top of the support and encloses the components of a nineteenth-century electrostatic machine made of brass and glass. The wooden legs and the unpainted underside of the top remain exposed and unprotected. For historical reasons, the display configuration cannot be altered. The room has no HVAC or air treatment system. To ensure adequate ventilation, the windows must be opened regularly. The museum is located in northern Italy, and the windows overlook a small park and a lake. This makes the environment particularly challenging from the perspective of preventive pest management. In addition to eradicating the current infestation, I would like to minimize the risk of future attacks, which seem quite likely given the environmental conditions. For the current infestation, I am considering an anoxic treatment, followed by the application of a permethrin-based insecticide by brush to provide a residual toxic barrier within the wood. I would be very grateful for any comments or experiences you may be willing to share, particularly regarding the effectiveness of permethrin as a preventive treatment against reinfestation. Kind regards Anna *Anna Giatti Scientific instruments restorerFlorence, Italy* -- This PestList and the MuseumPests.com web site are made possible due to the talent, intelligence, devotion and donations of hundreds of volunteers. Your donation to help this resource continue would be greatly appreciated. Please consider a donation donating at https://givebutter.com/MuseumPests To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] --- 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 [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/CANA6hx23GyTdpv-v5Ww%3D7EpdLWU19Acw%2BU4FGcK8%2BRkGyRXQTw%40mail.gmail.com.
