This is a message from the Museumpests List. To post to this list send it as an email to pestlist@museumpests.net To unsubscribe please look at the footer of this email. ----------------------------------------------------------- Both dermestids and tineids will graze on silk sizing, but they both require keratin for larval development. Tom Parker
Sent from my iPhone On Dec 22, 2011, at 10:41 AM, Lou <sor...@amnh.org> wrote: > This is a message from the Museumpests List. > To post to this list send it as an email to pestlist@museumpests.net > To unsubscribe please look at the footer of this email. > ----------------------------------------------------------- > This is a definition of silk from one publication: > > "Sericin is a hot water-soluble macromolecular globular protein. It > represents a family of proteins having molecular mass of 10 to 310 kDa. > Sericin envelops the fibroin fibre with successive sticky layers that help in > the formation of cocoon. Sericin contributes about 20-30% of the total cocoon > weight. The sericin protein is made of 18 amino acids most of which have > strongly polar side groups such as hydroxyl, carboxyl and amino groups." > > I'd say that silk is a protein, but is not keratin containing. Dermestids > don't feed on silk, but possibly tineid caterpillars are able to? Yes, it's > true that both tineid and dermestid larvae will chew on silks as Tom notes, > especially if there are stains and residues that must be "tasty". In a > natural situation, in caterpillar silk mats and spider webs or retreats, > there can be parts of shed skins, dried insect and arachnid corpses > (including dried spider prey), and the like that would constitute a good diet > for foraging dermestid and tineid larvae. > > > > On Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:49:22 -0500, bugma...@aol.com wrote: > >> This is a message from the Museumpests List. >> To post to this list send it as an email to pestlist@museumpests.net >> To unsubscribe please look at the footer of this email. >> ----------------------------------------------------------- >> >> Neither dermestids nor clothes moth larvae eat silk. Silk has no keratin >> (animal protein) in it. The text books are wrong. If dermestids or clothes >> moth larvae damage silk, they inadvertently do so as they graze on the >> sizing. Silk threads are so fine, the larvae may damage them, but they are >> not "feeding" on the silken threads. They simply chew through them as they >> forage of the sizing. Wool, horse hair, whale baleen, porcupine quills, >> embroidery, etc. all have keratin and will support fabric pest larval >> development. >> >> Tom Parker >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Tony Irwin >> To: pestlist >> Sent: Wed, Dec 21, 2011 5:47 pm >> Subject: RE: [pestlist] identification help sought >> >> This is a message from the Museumpests List. >> To post to this list send it as an email to pestlist@museumpests.net >> To unsubscribe please look at the footer of this email. >> ----------------------------------------------------------- >> If the larva is that of an Odd Beetle (I have some doubts), then it is a >> potential threat to the collections if they contain silk or wool. It would >> be worth checking any upholstery containing these materials for damage. >> Tony >> >> Dr A.G.Irwin, Natural History Department, Castle Museum Study Centre, >> Shirehall, Market Avenue, Norwich NR1 3JQ, England. >> Tel:+44 1603 493642. E-mail: tony.ir...@btinternet.com >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: ad...@museumpests.net [mailto:ad...@museumpests.net]On Behalf Of >>> bugma...@aol.com >>> Sent: 21 December 2011 19:13 >>> To: pestlist@museumpests.net >>> Subject: Re: [pestlist] identification help sought >>> >>> This is a message from the Museumpests List. >>> To post to this list send it as an email to pestlist@museumpests.net >>> To unsubscribe please look at the footer of this email. >>> ----------------------------------------------------------- >>> Whitney - >>> >>> The beetles are not a direct threat to collections. It looks like they are >>> a click beetle (Elateridae), a type of darkling beetle (Tenebrionidae), and >>> another one I can't quite make out. The larva appears to be an Odd Beetle. >>> It's one of those strange dermestid beetles, whose larvae feed on protein >>> materials. >>> >>> Tom Parker >>> >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: Whitney Robertson <wrobert...@societyofthecincinnati.org> >>> To: pestlist <pestlist@museumpests.net> >>> Sent: Wed, Dec 21, 2011 2:00 pm >>> Subject: [pestlist] identification help sought >>> >>> This is a message from the Museumpests List. >>> To post to this list send it as an email to pestlist@museumpests.net >>> To unsubscribe please look at the footer of this email. >>> ----------------------------------------------------------- >>> Hello all, >>> >>> Yesterday, I discovered a pretty gnarly network of spiderwebs in one of our >>> furniture storage areas and, upon cleaning them up, found three dead >>> beetles and a live (!) larva. I am fairly new to insect ID and would love a >>> little help identifying the bugs. I have attached some (admittedly pretty >>> poor) photos and would appreciate any insight you might be able to share. >>> >>> Thanks very much! >>> Whitney Robertson >>> >>> >>> >>> Whitney A. J. Robertson >>> Museum Collections Manager >>> The Society of the Cincinnati >>> >>> Anderson House >>> 2118 Massachusetts Avenue NW >>> Washington, DC 20008 >>> T 202.785.2040 x429 >>> F 202.785.0729 >>> wrobert...@societyofthecincinnati.org >>> www.societyofthecincinnati.org >>> >>> >>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> To send an email to the list, send your msg to pestlist@museumpests.Net >>> >>> To unsubscribe from this list send an email to pestlist@museumpests.net and >>> in the subject put: >>> "unsubscribe" - no quotes please. >>> >>> You are receiving the Pestlist emails in standard mode. >>> To change to the DIGEST mode send an >>> email to imail...@museumpests.net with this command in the body: >>> >>> set mode digest pestlist >>> >>> Any problems email l...@collectionpests.com or l...@zaks.com >>> >>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> To send an email to the list, send your msg to pestlist@museumpests.Net >>> >>> To unsubscribe from this list send an email to pestlist@museumpests.net and >>> in the subject put: >>> "unsubscribe" - no quotes please. >>> >>> You are receiving the Pestlist emails in standard mode. >>> To change to the DIGEST mode send an >>> email to imail...@museumpests.net with this command in the body: >>> >>> set mode digest pestlist >>> >>> Any problems email l...@collectionpests.com or l...@zaks.com >> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> To send an email to the list, send your msg to pestlist@museumpests.Net >> >> To unsubscribe from this list send an email to pestlist@museumpests.net and >> in the subject put: >> "unsubscribe" - no quotes please. >> >> You are receiving the Pestlist emails in standard mode. >> To change to the DIGEST mode send an >> email to imail...@museumpests.net with this command in the body: >> >> set mode digest pestlist >> >> Any problems email l...@collectionpests.com or l...@zaks.com >> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> To send an email to the list, send your msg to pestlist@museumpests.Net >> >> To unsubscribe from this list send an email to pestlist@museumpests.net and >> in the subject put: >> "unsubscribe" - no quotes please. >> >> You are receiving the Pestlist emails in standard mode. >> To change to the DIGEST mode send an >> email to imail...@museumpests.net with this command in the body: >> >> set mode digest pestlist >> >> Any problems email l...@collectionpests.com or l...@zaks.com >> >> > > > -- > ----------- > Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail > > > Louis N. Sorkin, B.C.E. > Entomology Section > Division of Invertebrate Zoology > American Museum of Natural History > Central Park West at 79th Street > New York, NY 10024-5192 > > phone: 212-769-5613 > fax: 212-769-5277 > email: sor...@amnh.org > > The New York Entomological Society, Inc. > email: n...@amnh.org > web: www.nyentsoc.org > Online journal from 2001 forward > www.BioOne.org > www.jstor.org > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To send an email to the list, send your msg to pestlist@museumpests.Net > > To unsubscribe from this list send an email to pestlist@museumpests.net and > in the subject put: > "unsubscribe" - no quotes please. > > You are receiving the Pestlist emails in standard mode. > To change to the DIGEST mode send an > email to imail...@museumpests.net with this command in the body: > > set mode digest pestlist > > Any problems email l...@collectionpests.com or l...@zaks.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To send an email to the list, send your msg to pestlist@museumpests.Net To unsubscribe from this list send an email to pestlist@museumpests.net and in the subject put: "unsubscribe" - no quotes please. You are receiving the Pestlist emails in standard mode. To change to the DIGEST mode send an email to imail...@museumpests.net with this command in the body: set mode digest pestlist Any problems email l...@collectionpests.com or l...@zaks.com
