All,
As one of the consortium who designed the Pest Trap and Mapping facility for KeEMu, I would like to highlight that we (NHM and Smithsonian) are currently developing a specification to deal with these exact issues. It's all very well recording the regular survey of trap arrays around the building to get an idea of background pest populations and distribution. But the data is restricted to fixed points. We would wish to enhance that status with adhoc sightings and collection surveys in order to be more pro-active in identifying the hotspots at any time. By being able to overlay the spatial distribution of pest trap data, adhoc sightings (inside and outside collection cabinets) and periodic collection surveys we should have a more thorough impression of the pest distribution and its dynamic within the museum space, and the potential risk it poses to high susceptible materials. The specification is very much draft at the moment, but will soon be released to the EMu Forum for a wider audience participation, for those who are interested. regards Dave Smith Earth Science Digital Collections Manager Natural History Museum, London. ________________________________ From: Jen Tobias [jen.tob...@botanicgardens.org] Sent: 21 April 2015 20:35 To: pestlist@museumpests.net Subject: RE: [pestlist] RE: IPM Access database? Hi all, Thanks so much for all the information! We’ve experimented with Zpest a bit, but we need something with a bit more complexity. Good to know about the subscription service, it definitely looks like a possibility. I’ll look into Arctos and Symbiota too – interesting way to approach IPM! I agree that recording these sort of pest “events” that are not necessarily catches are challenging. At this point, we just add those to our spreadsheet in much the same way we record catches – not ideal, I know, but the best we’ve come up with so far. I would also be curious as to what others are doing? We have a similar interest in recording collections events and being able to chart them against pest populations – for example, looking at what impact donations of books for the circulating collections have on pest populations building-wide. Thanks so much to those who shared their logs, it’s so helpful to see what everyone else is doing. It looks like there’s a possibility we’ll go with the subscription service, but if we do end up doing something more custom, I’ll certainly be happy to share. Does anyone currently use the subscription service who might be interested in chatting about it? Best, -Jen [logo] Jen Tobias Manager of Exhibitions & Art Collections Denver Botanic Gardens 909 York Street Denver, CO 80206 720-865-3636 Phone 720-865-3682 Fax www.botanicgardens.org<http://www.botanicgardens.org/> From: pestlist@museumpests.net [mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net] Sent: Thursday, April 16, 2015 10:34 AM To: pestlist@museumpests.net Subject: RE: [pestlist] RE: IPM Access database? Hi everyone, One of the challenges I’ve found in my IPM record keeping is figuring out how to best quantify pest issues when you don’t have a body count. A silverfish on a sticky trap is easy enough to record, but how do I manage record keeping for things like a frass pile on the trap that used to be a spider carcass the month before, or evidence of mice such as droppings, or the sighting of a mouse that gets away and isn’t actually trapped? Anyone found the ideal solution for this in database form? Personally, I like to keep all my records from my monthly storage checks (IPM data, temperature and humidity spot checks, and any other notable info such as building maintenance works in progress or lights on for a prolonged period due to a researcher working in a normally dark storage space, and so on) parked all on one page. Right now I’m using an excel chart I’ve developed for this, but of course that doesn’t have databasing capabilities such as searching or graphing, and I’m not even using excel properly as an actual spreadsheet. I’ve attached a sample sheet here – it’s very low-tech, so I’m open to suggestions on how to make it more useful. Our museum operates on a very small budget, so free shareware programs like Zaks are certainly helpful and appreciated. I had played around with the first version a couple of years ago and found it didn’t quite meet my needs. Thanks, Rachael, for the heads up about the more advanced Zak’s version – I’ll check into it! I’m interested to hear what others have found works for them and what might be possible. Dee Dee Stubbs-Lee, CAPC, MA Conservator / Restauratrice New Brunswick Museum/ Musée du Nouveau-Brunswick 277 Douglas Avenue Saint John, New Brunswick E2K 1E5 Canada (506)643-2341 From: pestlist@museumpests.net<mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net> [mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net] Sent: Thursday, April 16, 2015 12:54 PM To: pestlist@museumpests.net<mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net> Subject: Re: [pestlist] RE: IPM Access database? Have you considered using one of the larger biodiversity databases like Arctos (http://arctosdb.org/) or Symbiota (http://scan1.acis.ufl.edu/)? I use Arctos and, like Symbiota, it is entirely on-line so one needs only a web browser and a good internet connection (and a user account) to use it. Also, these databases share their data in a standardized format with data aggregators like iDigBio and GBIF. I treat indoor 'pest' arthropods as biodiversity - wildlife that's either accidentally indoors or that's taking advantage of a hospitable indoor habitat. This link is a saved search of records of specimens collected inside our museum - a surprising diversity! http://arctos.database.museum/saved/inside-museum I haven't looked over the required fields list and that would be the place to start - if there are lots of fields a good IPM pest database needs that aren't present in Arctos or Symbiota you'd need to start discussions with the designers about adding them but I think it would be worth the effort in the long run. I'm a strong advocate of not reinventing wheels and of data standardization (so everyone's database can share data). -Derek On Thu, Apr 16, 2015 at 2:22 AM, <pestlist@museumpests.net<mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net>> wrote: Zpest was intended as a simple program that was more advanced than an Excel spreadsheet but since it is free… was never intended to be the answer to all issues! Zak software also offers a much more comprehensive program available by subscription service that you can learn more about at www.collectionpests.com<http://www.collectionpests.com> Building a good Access database can be done, but it is time consuming. AMNH developed a database and a presentation on its development and implementation was given at the 2003 SPNHC annual meeting and a pdf including screen shots and other useful information is available on the MuseumPests.net site http://museumpests.net/monitoring-record-keeping-and-reporting/ Eventually we did find that the database becomes less stable when you get thousands of records input. This seemed to be a known Access issue rather than one specific to the particular database design. The IPM-WG looked into trying to develop one of the databases created by its members for broader use but the realities of the time and finances involved in taking a product like that forward were not realistic. For KE EMu collection database users there is a pest module developed by the Natural History Museum London and other institutions based on the collaborative work done by the IPM-WG Data Collection subgroup. For institutions interested in developing their own databases the MuseumPests site has a page on suggested data fields. Here is the website blurb on the downloadable document… The goal of the Database Field List document created by members of the IPM-WG is to identify those fields that are most important for tracking pest observation data in a new pest database. The fields have been divided into four categories: mandatory, suggested, optional and not recommended. It must be remembered that every institution has different needs and goals, so as you design your database, your task will be to select the fields that fit your institution’s needs. There may also be fields not found on this list that you will want to include, but please remember that by keeping your database simple, you will increase its usability. The document is available on the Record Keeping and Reporting page in the Monitoring section of www.museumpests.net<http://www.museumpests.net> (same link as above). I hope that if you do develop your own database you will consider doing a write-up that can be added to the website. Best, Rachael IPM-WG Co-Chair Rachael Perkins Arenstein A.M. Art Conservation, LLC Conservation Treatment, Preservation Consulting & Collection Management www.amartconservation.com<http://www.amartconservation.com/> rach...@amartconservation.com<mailto:rach...@amartconservation.com> From: pestlist@museumpests.net<mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net> [mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net<mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net>] Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2015 10:21 PM To: pestlist@museumpests.net<mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net> Subject: [pestlist] RE: IPM Access database? I haven’t found one either, other than the Zak’s Zpest software from museumpests.net<http://museumpests.net>, which is helpful and free, but not perfect. Can you post your responses to the list? I’m sure many of us would be interested in knowing what’s out there and how people are tracking their IPM data. Thanks, Dee Dee Stubbs-Lee, CAPC, MA Conservator / Restauratrice New Brunswick Museum/ Musée du Nouveau-Brunswick 277 Douglas Avenue Saint John, New Brunswick E2K 1E5 Canada (506)643-2341<tel:%28506%29643-2341> From: pestlist@museumpests.net<mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net> [mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net] Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2015 4:01 PM To: pestlist@museumpests.net<mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net> Subject: [pestlist] IPM Access database? Hi all, We’re interested in creating a custom Access database for our IPM program, but I haven’t had much luck finding a good template or example of one available online. Does anyone have one they might be willing to share? I’d love to take a look at how others have handled this – I’m a bit of a beginner with Access. Many thanks, -Jen [logo] Jen Tobias Manager of Exhibitions & Art Collections Denver Botanic Gardens 909 York Street Denver, CO 80206 720-865-3636<tel:720-865-3636> Phone 720-865-3682<tel:720-865-3682> Fax www.botanicgardens.org<http://www.botanicgardens.org/> -- +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Derek S. Sikes, Curator of Insects Associate Professor of Entomology University of Alaska Museum 907 Yukon Drive Fairbanks, AK 99775-6960 dssi...@alaska.edu<mailto:dssi...@alaska.edu> phone: 907-474-6278 FAX: 907-474-5469 University of Alaska Museum - search 292,082 digitized arthropod records http://www.uaf.edu/museum/collections/ento/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Interested in Alaskan Entomology? Join the Alaska Entomological Society and / or sign up for the email listserv "Alaska Entomological Network" at http://www.akentsoc.org/contact.php
