June 15, 2022

Dealing with Pests in Your Museum

Pest Risks/Environmental Causes

By Helen Alten

Define the problem.

You know you have a pest problem. You have seen them, or you have seen suspected pest damage. Do you know why they are there? Do you know the extent of the problem? Do you know what the pests are? Are the insects you are seeing actually damaging the collections, or are they simply a nuisance pest? Do they indicate some other problem? These are all valid questions.

Why are they there?

Pest species, like the rest of us, require certain conditions to live. They need food, harborage (a place to live) and water (or moisture). (They also need oxygen, but control of oxygen will be discussed in Section 5 under treatment.) The pest species is in conflict with us because we are providing them with one or more of these basic needs. By eliminating access to just one of these elements, then you can begin to manage the pest. Depending on the species this may mean different sources. If you can identify what the pest is there for, and you can come up with a strategy.

The building itself is the first line of defense. The walls, windows and doors are there to prevent all sorts of unwanted elements, including pests from entering. However, buildings also provide excellent harborage to many species. In cold climates, mice often take up residence when cold weather begins. Once in, why move out? To be effective in eliminating pests from the building, all unwanted holes should be blocked. (Mice can slip through a hole that is one-quarter inch, about two mm, in diameter.) Windows should have screens. Specific mitigation strategies will be expanded on in Section 4. This can be challenging.

Your building contains people in addition to your collections. Where there are people, there is food. And food is a primary attractant for rodents and many insects. So, too, is garbage. Clutter provides harborage. Food is moist and can be a water source. Thus strict housekeeping and food policies are vital in an IPM plan.

Good housekeeping is an on-going requirement in any IPM plan. Insects are small and require very little food. They can exist on dust and crumbs. Some mice get the majority of their water through food, rather than water itself. Debris becomes a food source for pests. And the more dirt, debris and disorder, the harder it is to see the pests. You won’t be able to distinguish the dirt from the bugs.

Understanding your pest species

Many museums have done an admirable job of keeping their buildings and collections free of pests. This, however, is not enough because pests easily spread through the loan or transfer of collections. This makes it all the more vital that objects and specimens go through stringent IPM protocols to prevent infestation from spreading. It has been reported in England that the cabinet beetle (Trogoderma angustum) have spread from one museum to another through the exchange of herbaria specimens. The odd beetle (Thylodrias contractus) is a native of Central Asia. It is now common in American museums.

For IPM to work, you must understand the basic biology of pests you encounter. For one thing, many of the insects that you find in the building might be “casual invaders” or incidentals. These are insects that have wandered into your building, but are not directly damaging your collection. But the presence of other insects might indicate an actual problem that needs attention. For example, carpenter ants nest in rotted wood, and their presence indicate there is rotted wood in the vicinity. If they appear inside during the winter (in colder climates), that probably means you have a nest of carpenter ants living in the building. This indicates a moisture problem causing rot. Get rid of the moisture problem, and you get rid of the ants.

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Excerpt from MS210 Integrated Pest Management for Museums, Libraries and Archives.

Join current Instructor Stefani Pendergast for this very informative course on Pest Management starting July 5, 2022. 

Stefani Pendergast joined the Denver Art Museum in 2014, bringing a background from the fine art shipping and storage industry, as well as in art conservation and museum move projects. She became the Assistant Collections Manager in 2015, and she assists the Associate Collections Manager and Collections Manager with providing the best possible care for our on- and off-site collections. She also oversees the Denver Art Museum’s Gallery Maintenance and integrated pest management programs.

Stefani is active in service to the museum field and holds positions as a board member with the Colorado-Wyoming Association of Museums and the Mountain-Plains Museum Association. In addition to collections care, she is passionate about museums advocacy, engagement, and environmental sustainability. She has a B.F.A. in Pre-Art Conservation from the University of Denver, and an M.A. in Art History and a Professional Certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Colorado – Boulder.

Early Bird Discounts Available for Full Length Courses

An Early Bird Discount is available for anyone who signs up for a full length course from museumclasses.org 30 days prior to the start of that course. 

Sign up for a full length course up to 30 days prior to its start and save $100.00!

For our course list or to sign up: http://www.collectioncare.org/course-list

To take advantage of this discount, you must enter coupon code EARLYBIRD at checkout at collectioncare.org

Earlybird Discount Deadline for August 2022 Courses is July 2, 2022

Earlybird Discount Deadline for September 2022 Courses is August 7, 2022

July Courses

MS207: Cataloging Your Collection

July 5 to August 1, 2022

Instructor: Peggy Schaller

Description:

Cataloging may not be the most exciting museum task, but it is among the most important. Without a clear knowledge of your holdings, you can't protect, care for, research or exhibit them. Without knowledge of an item's history, you can't properly appreciate its value to your museum. Cataloging Your Collection covers all details needed to catalog a collection. Procedures for handling, measuring and describing all types of objects and materials are discussed in detail. Participants receive sample forms and learn the best practices for numbering artifacts, performing inventory and assessing the condition of objects. Participants practice describing everyday objects and cataloging items from their own collections or households.

MS210: Integrated Pest Management for Museums, Libraries and Archives

July 5 to August 15, 2022

Instructor: Stefani Pendergast

Description:

The only thing worse than mice or cockroaches in your kitchen, is finding them in your museum collection. Participants in Integrated Pest Management for Museums, Libraries and Archives learn low-toxicity methods of controlling infestations. IPM is the standard method for treating incoming items and monitoring holdings. Integrated Pest Management for Museums, Libraries and Archives discusses how infestations occur, helps identify risks, provides feasible mitigation strategies, discusses the different techniques of treating infested materials, and helps you complete an IPM plan and monitoring schedule for your institution. The course covers pest identification, insects, rodent, birds, bats, other mammals and mold infestations, as well as other problems raised by participants.

MS 235: Scripting the Exhibition

July 5 to August 1, 2022

Instructor: Karin Hostetter

Description:

So much to say and so little space in which to say it. That is the dilemma when scripting an exhibition. How do you say what needs to be said in the space available? How do you even figure out how to limit the information in the first place? Discover the value of themes, tangibles, intangibles, and universals in writing exhibit text that visitors really want to read -- and remember. Additional resources provided on font size and colors as well as label layout.

MS 267: Museum Ethics

July 5 to August 1, 2022

Instructor: Peggy Schaller

Description:

This course will examine the role of ethics in museums and related institutions. Topics addressed will include the differences in ethics, laws, and morals; what ethics are and where they come from; the ethical codes that museum professionals follow; how ethics affect professional practices; why ethics are important; and how ethical standards can help museums and related institutions better serve society. Participants in the course will gain an understanding of the importance of ethics in professional museum practice, how codes of ethics are written and why they are important, and will develop an understanding of the most significant codes of ethics subscribed to by museum professionals.

MS 271: Training for Interpretive Trainers

July 5 to August 1, 2022

Instructor: John Veverka

Description:

It’s often difficult to teach interpretive techniques and principles to others when you may have not had any formal training in interpretation yourself. The course provides ways to develop and deliver interpretive training courses and workshops for cultural sites and staff charged with developing interpretive training for their docents, volunteers, seasonal interpretive staff, or full time interpretive staff.

September Courses

MS 014: Education Collections

September 12 to 16, 2022 

Instructor: Karin Hostetter

Description:

What do you do with collection objects that no longer belong in the scientific collection but are too good to throw out? What do you do with the donations that just don't quite 'fit?' Use them in education collections. Their value as educational objects for the public is immeasurable.

MS 215: Care of Archaeological Artifacts from the Field to the Lab

September 6 to October 3, 2022 

Instructor: Diana Komejan

Description:

Archaeological finds come out of the ground fragile - and they often stay that way. Yet archaeologists and museum professionals have few clear guidelines for handling, moving, storing and displaying such materials. Participants in Care of Archaeological Artifacts From the Field to the Lab learn techniques for safely lifting and packing artifacts, safe transportation and temporary and permanent storage. The course also covers a broad range of excavation environments, including the Arctic, wet sites, tropical and temperate. Though Care of Archaeological Artifacts is not intended to train archaeological conservators, it is designed to help participants understand what can and can't be done to save the artifacts they unearth.

MS227: Care of Paintings

September 6 to October 3, 2022  

Instructor: Elizabeth Burton

Description:

Caring for paintings requires some knowledge of the component structure of paintings and the reaction of those components to both natural and man-made environments. This course looks at the painting structure, the effects of damaging environments, and proposes simple steps for basic care. Topics include the structure of paintings, proper condition reporting with standard damage vocabulary, and basic care and handling including environments, storage, and transport. The course is intended to help those entrusted with the care of paintings in any environment.

MS 262: Moving Collections

September 6 - October 3, 2022  NEW DATES

Instructor: Stefani Pendergast

Description:

Moving collections is a daunting task. Fragile items need special packing and care to be safely transported. Large, heavy or awkward items like dinosaurs and oversized sculptures require special equipment and support from local authorities. How do you design your project to meet the budget and timing demands of your administration? Are your collections over-packed in acidic boxes and does your move includes improving their storage and care? Collections often take up more room when they are stored properly. How do you determine your needed storage space when the collection is decompressed? Moving Collections provides an overview of how to plan and manage a move to avoid the many pitfalls. The course includes: defining your project, developing a Request for Proposal (RFP), developing a work plan, staffing, and packing protocols. Whether you are moving part of the collection within your building or moving the entire collection to another facility, Moving Collections provides a blueprint for you to follow.

MS 268: Creating Interpretive Gallery Tours

September 6 to October 3, 2022

Instructor: John Veverka

Description:

There is more to a guided tour than information – you also need inspiration. This course will help curators teach and coach their docents and volunteers to create interpretive stories and experiences that will help make their presentations “come to life” for their visitors.

This training course will help curators help prepare their docents for tours that:

1. Have an interpretive theme.

2. Have accomplishable objectives.

3. Has about 7 tour stops, each of which illustrate the main interpretive theme.

4. Use interpretive communications structure for each stop (provoke, relate and reveal).

5. Use the techniques of tangibles and intangibles in their presentation.

6. Encourage the use of multiple senses to relate to visitors.

7. Have a provocative introduction and then ending conclusion summary for the tour.

8. Have as much "inspiration" as "information".

9. Leave the visitors asking for more (when's your next tour?).

MS303: Found in Collections: Orphans, Old Loans and Abandoned Property

September 6 to October 3, 2022 

Instructor: Sarah Kapellusch

Description:

Every museum has a few stray items. Some lost tags long ago. Others turn up as surprises during inventories. A few are all that remain from long-ago exhibits. While you'll want to keep some, others may be deteriorating. Even worse, some pose significant hazards for staff and the rest of the collection. All raise legal and professional questions. How do you deal with objects that have no records? Or loans from unidentified or deceased lenders? Found in the Collection addresses how to identify abandoned objects and old loans. It further covers the application of state laws and rules for identifying owners or establishing ownership.