Archived Exhibits: Pest Case Scenario
Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Getting the Bugs Out
Museums use IPM to keep insects under control. By sealing up the building, using insect traps, and regularly inspecting the collections for pests, we are able to take care of small infestations before they get out of control.
IPM at Home
You can prevent pest problems in your home by becoming an expert at IPM. Regularly inspect your fur, wool and silk clothing, looking closely at seams, pockets and cuffs for signs of insects. You may find one of these clues to a problem:
· Frass… bug excrement that looks like grains of sand or pepper
· Larvae… immature insects that resemble maggots or caterpillars
· Larval skins… semi-transparent, snake-like skins in the size and shape of the larvae that are discarded by the larvae as they grow
· Casings… a moth cocoon that looks like a small cigar-shaped wad of lint
If you find one of these clues, remove any sign of insects by vacuuming thoroughly. Then inspect again after a week and again in a month. Sometimes the vacuum misses the microscopic eggs. When they hatch, the cycle begins all over again. Continue to inspect your stored textiles regularly. Consider sending valuable items to a commercial cold storage facility. Don't use mothballs or chemicals as these substances can damage your treasures as well as your health. And if the pests get out of control, quickly bag the affected items and inspect other materials in the vicinity. Call a pest control company or the Royal Saskatchewan Museum for advice.
Drop into the RSM soon to see a display case on pest management called "Pest Case Scenario". Here are a few examples of pest control problems that impacted collections at the RSM.
Beetle-ravaged moth
Moth-ravaged wool coat
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For further information contact the Exhibits Unit
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