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
rkersch...@shelburnemuseum.org
From: pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net
[mailto:pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net] On Behalf Of Molly Gleeson
Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2010 4:08 PM
To: 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 call...@bulldoghome.com
To: 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, 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.
