Pest Management

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Pest Management

• National Museum of the American Indian
• 
  September 9-13, 2002

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Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

• Operational strategy
• Ecosystem approach to pest control
• Initially developed for agriculture and urban
  pest management
• Preventive approach
• Protects the museum and its collections
• Reduces pesticide use
• Less expensive and more time efficient than
  combating entrenched infestation

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Components of an IPM Program

• Monitoring
• Inspection
• Identification
• Habitat Modification

• Grounds Housekeeping
• Treatment Action
• Education
• Evaluation

Only you can prevent this!
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The IPM Process Serves To

• Determine type extent of biological activity
• Prevent pest access survival
• Establish damage action thresholds
• Develop actions to modify conditions
• Develop treatments for infestations

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Keys to IPM Success

• Detection is key to prevention
• Reduce pest access, survival/breeding grounds
• Prevent building deterioration
• Establish thresholds for monitoring
• Develop action plans to modify conditions
• Become familiar with bugs their habitats
• Maintain good records

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Building Environment

• Outside vs. Inside
  

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Exterior Roofing

• Are shingles on the roof damaged by winter ice?
• Are they wet, growing moss or fungi?
• Are there holes, gaps, cracks, corroded areas?
• Check for insect or rodent entryways
• Inspect roof areas for birds and bats. Droppings
  may harbor infestations

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Exterior Landscaping

• Plants and mulch encourage insect activity near
  exterior walls
• Do not encourage ivy or vines to grow on walls
• Check wood outside for termite activity
• Ensure that water drains away from the building

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Exterior Landscaping - Solutions

• Re-design landscaping
• Adding rock/gravel will reduce insects
• Use non-flowering plants
• Contract Pest Management company for outside
  activity such as termites, ants, rodents, wasp
  nest, etc.

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Exterior Vegetation

• Increases potential for pest entrance at basement
  or entry level
• Grass should be cut regularly
• Overgrown weeds and brush is perfect for rodent
  breeding

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Exterior Lighting

• Try to keep lights off the building and mount
  away from building
• Moths and other bugs are attracted to UV lights
• Use Sodium lights when possible

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Exterior Bird Nests

• Remove bird nests in surrounding areas
• Nests harvest dermestids and other insects
• Use wire mesh to cover areas where birds can nest
• Do not feed pigeons, which may harbor clothes
  moths

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Doors

• Keep doors closed whenever possible
• Make sure doors are properly aligned in frames
• Check cracks or gaps between frames or
  surrounding walls
• Check for water leakage near doors that might
  attract occasional invaders
• For loading dock and outside doors, allow only
  one door open at a time

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• Use weather stripping and keep in good condition
• Flat plate vs. wavy
• Use door sweeps
• Place pest traps near door entrances

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Windows

• Keep windows closed
• Use blinds, shades, or curtains
• Use Ultra Violet filters, replace when needed
• Check for cracks, insulate window frames

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Attic, Cellar, Basement

• Inspect regularly for leaks
• Check air vents and ducts
• Change air filters
• Check for insect or rodent entryways
• Prevent mold growth which attracts insects by
  keeping basements dry
• Insulate water pipes to prevent water condensation

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Inside

• Implement a no food policy inside collection
  areas
• Monitor traps monthly or bi-monthly
• Alert others of your inspections so that they can
  work with you
• Educate staff

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Interior Carpets and Furniture

• Check underneath rugs or carpets for any signs of
  bugs
• Vacuum frequently specially in hard to reach
  areas
• After special events check furniture for food and
  dirt left behind

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Interior Caulking

• Caulk cracks, crevices, electrical outlet areas,
  drainpipes or other plumbing
• When doing building inspection check for areas to
  re-caulk
• Inspect outside walls for entry ways such as
  lights, tubing, and holes that can be caulked

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Other building structures

• Check and seal outlets
• Watch out for pipe leaks inside building
• Cover any big holes found inside

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Interior Plants

• Keep live plants and flowers inside to a minimum
• Keep delivered bouquet(s) at front desk
• Avoid fresh flower display
• Dermestids like to feed on pollen

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Interior Animals

• NO PETS in or near collection areas
• Sorry, but they do carry bugs with them

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Habit Modification Housekeeping

• Dust attracts insects, dead insects are eaten by
  dermestids
• Eliminate dust, dirt and particulates as much as
  possible
• Develop a maintenance schedule of housekeeping
  chores for collection areas
• Work along with facilities/maintenance staff

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Habit Modification Dust

• Protect objects in storage from dust that will
  attract pests by using plastic sheeting, linen
  sheets, or muslin

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Habit Modification Garbage Disposal

• Dispose of garbage daily
• Keep garbage container far away from building
• Be aware of dumpster pick up schedule
• Make sure garbage bins have lids

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Habit Modification Kitchens

• Limit food and beverage only in kitchens or break
  rooms
• Wash dishes immediately and put away clean dishes
• Put all food refuse in kitchen garbage cans
• Keep food in containers

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Habit Modification Food

• Do not leave food uncovered
• Areas where food is allowed should be cleaned
  daily

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Habit Modification Material Storage

• Reduce unnecessary material storage
• If you recycle make sure material does not carry
  bugs
• Raise all materials off floors and away from
  exterior walls on palettes or skids
• Bugs love to hide in cardboard, avoid creating
  microclimates

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New Acquisitions and Loans

• Do not allow bugs to infiltrate by hiding in
  other objects or material
• Inspect all packaging material, boxes, crates and
  incoming acquisitions or loans for insect
  activity
• Before storing objects, vacuum and inspect
• Early detection is important and can prevent
  infestations in the future

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Monitoring

• Tools Of The Trade

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Monitoring

• Create a pest committee and designate a person(s)
  that works with collections to be the pest manager

Result of insect damage

• Collection areas should be inspected regularly
• Objects should be inspected annually

Frass left behind, notice color is the same as
feathers
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Monitoring Traps

• Choose an appropriate trap
• Sticky traps
• Pheromone traps
• UV light traps
• Decide on appropriate placement
• Place along perimeter of room
• Hang
• Keep good records
• Make a room layout to identify location of traps
• Keep log of room numbers and number your traps
• Use trap covers for prevent loss of traps and to
  keep away dust
• Use signs to alert others of trap locations

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Monitoring Trap Covers
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Monitoring UV Light Traps

• Inside use UV light traps for flying bugs
• Do not purchase zapping UV light traps, use glue
  boards instead
• Change and inspect monthly
• Make sure UV lights do not shine directly on
  collections

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Identification

• After recording, identify any insects that are
  captured
• Correct identification is important to determine
  if collection is at risk
• Use published references and consult with
  specialist such as entomologist from a University
• Share knowledge with staff and other museums

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Identification Types of Pests

• Microorganisms
• Vertebrate Pests
• Insects

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Identification Microorganisms

• Mold and/or mildew are a type of fungus
• Affect proteinaceous and cellulose based
  materials
• Spores are carried by insects or animals
• Prevalent in relative humidity above 65 and
  above 75 F temperatures
• Noticed by odor, permanent staining, furry spore
  growth
• Can be harmful to people with asthma, allergies,
  and other respiratory problems
• Adequate circulation will help prevent mold growth

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Identification Vertebrate Pests

• Mice can climb through a hole the size of a dime
• Carry deceases, reproduce quickly
• Snap traps are inexpensive, place then along the
  side of walls
• Do not use poison, because rats might die inside
  walls or crawl spaces and attract insects and can
  smell
• For bait use peanut butter or Slim Jims

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Identification Insects

• Not all insects found in museums will damage
  collections
• Its important to identify the type of materials
  they need to live or feed
• Protein feeders
• Common Carpet Beetles Webbing Clothes Moths
• Woodborers
• Termites Furniture Beetles
• Mold feeders
• Booklice Psocids
• Starch feeders
• Silverfish Firebrat
• Omnivores
• Cockroaches Crickets

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Dermestids

• Survive in very dry places, very persistent
• Feed on all dry proteinaceous materials,
  including furs, textiles, feathers, leather, wool
• Laval stage causes more significant damage than
  adults

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Odd Beetles (Thylodrias Contractus)

• Female
• 3-4 mm long, entirely wingless
• larviform

• Male
• 2 mm long
• Pale tan, slender legs
• Fully winged
• typical beetle

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Odd Beetles Larva

• 3-4 mm, light brown with fringe, hairs on all
  segments
• Lacks tufts of dense fine hairs at the end of body

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Varied Carpet Beetle(Anthrenus Verbasci)

• 2-5 mm, oval, compact body
• Speckled or blotched with patches of colored
  scales
• Survive in dry places
• Feed on dried proteinaceous materials, including
  furs, textiles
• Similar to Odd beetle but also will feed on
  starchy plant materials

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Varied Carpet Beetle Larva

• 3 mm, elongate-oval, with mix of long and short
  hairs
• Tufts of hair at the tail end

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Black Carpet Beetles (Attagenus unicolor)

• 2-3 mm, black, oval, covered with short hairs
• Feeds on dry animal/plant proteins, dead insects
  and nests, animal carcasses, feathers, hair, etc.

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Black Carpet Beetles Larva

• 6-10 mm, tan, with scale-like setae and long
  bristles on body, tapered from head to tail, with
  long tassel
• Eats a variety of stored products of plant or
  animal origin

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Other Types of Dermestid Beetles

• Warehouse Beetle (Trogoderma Variable)
• 3-4 mm, elongated, black or dark brown with wavy
  tan bands on elytra
• Adults do not feed
• Other Dermestids Include
• Furniture carpet beetle
• Museum beetle
• Wardrobe beetle
• Hide beetle
• Larder beetle
• Cigarette beetle
• Drugstore beetle

Warehouse Beetle
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Case Making Clothes Moths (Tinea pellionella)
Webbing Clothes Moth (Tineola bisselliella)

• Eggs, larvae and cocoons on fabric.
• Shiny, golden-tan without markings and hide in
  web tunnels in crevices
• Tagets hair, feathers, fur, wool, upholstered
  furniture, piano felt, lint

• Case making clothes moth adult, larva, and case
• Etch (grazzing) or consume furs, wool, textiles
  hides, horn and plant products

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Wood boring beetles

• Wood boring insects such as common furniture
  beetle, lay eggs in wood. They also eat paper
• Wood larvae eat at the wood for 2-3 years. Powder
  post beetle can damage hard woods or bamboo
• The wing adults emerge from holes of woods
• Wood dust or frass may fall off objects, it can
  indicate past or present pest activity

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Environmental Indicator Bugs

• Minute Brown Scavenger Beetle
• Psocids
• Pill bugs
• Springtails
• Drain flies
• All of these bugs indicate increased temperature
  and humidity, or time to clean out drains
• Keep collections in dry conditions, preferably in
  45 F, relative humidity

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Minute Brown Scavenger Beetle (Lathridiidae)

• 1 mm or less, uniformly pale brown, body parts
  distinct, often sculptured
• Requires higher relative humidity, grazes on mold
  spores, mildew, starchy materials, may etch
  surfaces of artifacts

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Booklice or Psocids (Liposcelis corrodens)

• Less than 1mm, pale cream-color, wingless or
  winged, can be translucent and striped body
• Etch surfaces of starchy or protein-based
  materials, including glues, book bindings, new
  plaster
• Needs relative high humidity environment to breed
  and survive

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Pill bugs

• Pill bugs can be found in moist environments
• Known as nuisance and occasional invaders
• Dead bugs can attract dermestids

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Springtails

• May be regional insect
• Show up in abundance where there is a moist
  environment
• Nuisance and found in doorways where water may
  flow in

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Drain Flies And Other Moths
Drain fly

• Drain flies surface in drains
• that require cleaning and draining
• Occasionally you will find moths that are not
  very harmful but are attracted by lights and will
  find their way inside

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Silverfish and Firebrat (Lepismatidae, Thysanura)

• 10-15mm, silvery to pale brown, flattened and
  tapered body, found in cool damp areas
• Firebrat has more coloration but looks much like
  a silverfish minus the silver coloring, found in
  warm areas
• Feed on books, binding, paper, clothes, wallpaper
  paste, food starches

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Roaches

• German Cockroach (Blatella germanica)
• Shiny pale tan with dark longtidinal
  markins, fully winged, omnivorous, reproduce
  quickly
• Oriental Cockroach (Blatta Orientalis)
• Shiny dark brown to black, short wings, back is
  in shape of diamond
• American Cockroach (Periplaneta americana)
• Reddish brown, fully winged, needs moisture
  and warmth
• Wood Cockroach
• Slender body, light brown, predominant
  wings, found in mulch
• Seal crevices, keep food areas clean, maintain
  general sanitation

Oriental Roach
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Reporting

• Record data in log sheet and distribute
• Logged data should be kept to analyze for trends
  and seasonal activity
• Establish thresholds(e.g. finding two Varied
  Carpet Beetles is too many, immediate action
  needs to be taken)

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If You Notice Live Pests In The Building

• Collect insects intact
• Put in Ziploc bag, label with date, location, and
  initials
• Notify collection or conservation staff to
  identify
• The area should be inspected and, if necessary,
  thoroughly cleaned
• Have bug boxes available for people to place
  questionable bugs
• Keep a log of all bugs found

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If You Notice Live Pests On An Object

• Call designated pest management person or/and
  conservator immediately
• Do not move the object
• Any infested object and/or drawer must be bagged
  before moving to any other location
• Conservator or Collections staff will fill out a
  Pest Incident Report
• The area should be thoroughly cleaned afterwards
• Identify pest and evaluate problem
• Document any necessary treatment

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Isolation

• Isolate infested objects immediately by sealing
  them in a polyethylene bag

• If possible separate objects or material that can
  not be frozen, or treated right away

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Treatment Freezing

• For best results keep objects at - 42º for one
  week
• Once removed let them thaw for 24hrs

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Treatment Anoxia
CO2 Bubble

• Ageless Packets and Marvel Seal can absorb all
  oxygen from contained object and kill bugs

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Summary

• Implement a yearly building inspection
• Designate one or two weeks out of a year to
  ensure thorough housekeeping
• Keep record and analyze
• Establish action thresholds
• Learn your bugs

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Pest Management

• National Museum of the American Indian
• September 9-13, 2002

THANK YOU !