A common problem within museums comes from irreversible damage to wood, textiles and other furnishings mostly caused by insect pests. Most commonly seen insect pests found to be devastating to museum artefacts and valuable art collections include:
Anobium Punctatum, generally known as the common furniture beetle or ‘woodworm’, has been perceived to be the main cause of damage to timber in the UK over the last 100 years. Carpet Beetle Larvae chew holes in textiles including wool, fur, silk and leather. They can also feed on human hair, features, book bindings and bone. The humble clothes moth is thought to be the number one insect pest in museums throughout the world. It is capable of destroying huge amounts of animal-based material. Silverfish feed on materials containing starches, and may feed on starched fabric.
Infested collections had been at risk not only from the infested pests but also from the remedial treatments themselves, which often involved the use of residual pesticides, such as malathion and permethrin and harmful gases such as methyl bromide and phosphine.
Product Information
Hanwell have teamed up with Colin Smith Conservation Ltd to produce a product that can eradicate damaging insect pests from artefacts and valuable collections, without an expensive chemical treatment in sight.
