That may be the case for some collections cases. Others, such as
Viking/Interior Steel can be elevated to allow for vacuuming
beneath the case. This has been done in the mammals collection at
CMNH (Carnegie Museum of Natural History). As far as I can see
there has been no structural damage to these cases by doing this.
Gretchen Anderson
Conservator
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
From:
<mailto:pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net>pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net
[<mailto:pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net?>mailto:pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net]
On Behalf Of <mailto:bugma...@aol.com>bugma...@aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 2010 7:49 AM
To: <mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net>pestlist@museumpests.net
Subject: Re: [pestlist] Clothes Moth Eating Habits
Cathy -
It would be great if the cases were elevated and open beneath, but
a kickplate actually is there for structural support of the weight
of the cases; you can't simply eliminate it.
Tom Parker
-----Original Message-----
From: Catharine Hawks <<mailto:caha...@aol.com>caha...@aol.com>
To: <mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net>pestlist@museumpests.net
Sent: Wed, May 5, 2010 6:55 am
Subject: Re: [pestlist] Clothes Moth Eating Habits
Better still, eliminate the kick plate and vacuum under the cases regularly.
Cathy
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
From: <mailto:bugma...@aol.com>bugma...@aol.com
Date: Tue, 04 May 2010 18:11:35 -0400
To: <<mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net>pestlist@museumpests.net>
Subject: Re: [pestlist] Clothes Moth Eating Habits
David -
I have found lots of protein debris in the void space beneath
natural history specimen ranges. In order to address this problem,
the kick plate at the bottom of the cases should be drilled and
Drione dust injected into the void space beneath the cabinetry.
Drione is a combination of pyrethrum and fine silica gel dessicant.
Even if the pyrethrum dissipates in time, the silica gel dessicant
will remain as an effective insecticide for years, as long as it
doesn't get wet. If you don't have Drione in England, either
straight silica gel (finely divided powder) or diatomaceous earth
can be used as a dessicant dust.
Tom Parker
-----Original Message-----
From: David Pinniger
<<mailto:da...@pinniger.globalnet.co.uk>da...@pinniger.globalnet.co.uk>
To: <mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net>pestlist@museumpests.net
Sent: Tue, May 4, 2010 2:51 am
Subject: Re: [pestlist] Clothes Moth Eating Habits
It seems that some pests have changed their habits!
Although I previously thought that clothes moths would only live in
substantial amounts of wool, fur or feathers in objects, in recent
years we have found them in organic debris.
Three very large London Museums have serious Tineola moth problems
which emanate from huge amounts of dirt and debris in dead spaces.
The dead spaces are either under floorboards or behind and under
displays which cannot be cleaned. This seems to be made up of large
amounts of hair, skin and fragments of clothing and so provides
sufficient nutrition for the larvae. Some fragments of human food
from functions and cafes provide the seasoning!
By the way, these deposits also support Anthrenus and Attagenus
larvae, sometimes in large numbers.
The pests can then of course spread into exhibits and infest them.
The images will give you some idea of the problem.
We all need to work with museum designers to prevent them creating
these uncleanable voids.
David
----- Original Message -----
From: <mailto:rkersch...@shelburnemuseum.org>Rick Kerschner
To: <mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net>pestlist@museumpests.net
Sent: Monday, May 03, 2010 5:21 PM
Subject: RE: [pestlist] Clothes Moth Eating Habits
Hi Tom,
I understand that insects can feed on human detritus in floor
cracks. What would surprise me would be if that were the main
attraction and only food source for an infestation in the building.
As you note states, they started in a dead pigeon and then moved
to the tastier banner, eventually ending up in the floor crack and
beyond.
Rick
From:
<mailto:pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net>pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net
[<mailto:pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net?>mailto:pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net]
On Behalf Of <mailto:bugma...@aol.com>bugma...@aol.com
Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2010 3:59 PM
To: <mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net>pestlist@museumpests.net
Subject: Re: [pestlist] Clothes Moth Eating Habits
Richard -
At a major museum in Chicago, I did find WCM larvae feeding on hair
and detritus lodged between the bricks of a trolley exhibit. They
started in a trapped, dead pigeon, then moved to a wool felt banner
mounted high up on the wall of the trolley exhibit, ended up
between the bricks, and then on to a pioneer life exhibit.
Tom Parker
-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Kerschner
<<mailto:rkersch...@shelburnemuseum.org>rkersch...@shelburnemuseum.org>
To: <mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net>pestlist@museumpests.net
Sent: Fri, Apr 30, 2010 9:03 am
Subject: RE: [pestlist] Clothes Moth Eating Habits
My experience reflects Molly's observations. Whenever I have found
insect infestations they have been on particularly "tasty"
artifacts, e.g. taxidermy mounts, fur mukluks, wool interior of a
carriage, that have been in storage in poor conditions and not
vacuumed for ages. With one exception, I cannot remember a carpet
beetle or moth infestation on an artifact on exhibition that is
vacuumed even only yearly. That exception is our hunting lodge
filled with taxidermy specimens. We did find carpet beetles on the
specimens, especially in the horns, after 55 years on exhibit and
they had been there at a low level for quite a while. However, this
infestation was not due to detritus carried into the building by
visitors. The artifacts themselves were the source of the food for
the insects.
Although I guess that it is possible for insects to be attracted to
small amounts of protein left by visitors as they tour our
buildings, I doubt that this source or nourishment is the cause of
significant collections infestations. Better to look for a dead
bird or rodent in the walls, or a high-protein artifact that had
not seen the light of day or the brush of a vacuum for years.
Richard L. Kerschner
Director of Preservation and Conservation
Shelburne Museum
PO Box 10, Route 7
Shelburne, VT 05482
(802) 985-3348 x3361
<mailto:rkersch...@shelburnemuseum.org>rkersch...@shelburnemuseum.org
From:
<mailto:pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net>pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net
[<mailto:pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net?>mailto:pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net]
On Behalf Of Molly Gleeson
Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2010 4:08 PM
To: <mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net>pestlist@museumpests.net
Subject: Re: [pestlist] Clothes Moth Eating Habits
This is interesting, however, I'm wondering how many instances
there are of collections becoming infested by clothes moth larvae
while on display? I guess I've never heard of that, but I'd be
interested to know if this is a frequent occurrence and a problem.
We generally don't let the public in storage areas, and, in my
limited experience, that is where the majority of these
infestations occur.
best,
Molly
Molly Gleeson
Conservator of Archaeological and Ethnographic Objects
San Diego, CA
From: Heather Thomas
<<mailto:call...@bulldoghome.com>call...@bulldoghome.com>
To: <mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net>pestlist@museumpests.net
Sent: Thu, April 29, 2010 12:42:12 PM
Subject: Re: [pestlist] Clothes Moth Eating Habits
Thanks for that Thomas.
I thought that WCM would eat skin as they attack taxidermy
specimens, leather and dried animal remains or is it only the fur,
hair and feathers they eat? I'm starting to realise our collections
would be a lot safer if we didn't let the public in the our
museums. :-)
On 29 Apr 2010, at 19:50, <mailto:bugma...@aol.com>bugma...@aol.com wrote:
Heather -
When I give an IPPM lecture, I tell my audience a visitor drops 3
hairs and one fingernail per visit. WCM larvae will readily feed
on the hair, but usually not the fingernails. Carpet beetles will
feed on the fingernails. I know of nothing, which will damage
collections, which will feed on skin cells. The public doesn't
drop feathers. Generally I have found younger instars feeding on
the debris in cracks between floor boards and bricks in a museum.
Although I haven't seen it, I am assuming in a large public museum,
there's enough protein debris for a WCM larva to complete its
development and pupate utilizing the protein materials dropped by
the public.
Thomas A. Parker, PhD
President, Entomologist
Pest Control Services, Inc.
