Hi Line, It’s difficult to tell from the photo, but they look to me like a type of plaster or scavenger beetle, from the lathridiidae family. The genus Cartodere is often found in stored food products, and like other lathridiidae are found in damp conditions and feed on plant matter and mould.
They are not generally a threat to objects themselves but can indicate damp conditions, so check your storage areas, café and kitchen for possible pipe leaks or other damp areas/water ingress. If they are arriving already in the boxes, address this with the supplier. I’d be interested to hear what others think, but I hope this helps, Tom Tom O’Keeffe Collections Care Technician IWM LONDON Lambeth Road London SE1 6HZ T 020 7091 3158 W iwm.org.uk<http://www.iwm.org.uk/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=signature&utm_campaign=Brand%2BLoyal> [cid:image003.jpg@01D08CA4.F8F2A0C0] From: Line Hallbjørnsson [mailto:l...@mfs.dk] Sent: 12 May 2015 10:45 To: pestlist@museumpests.net Subject: [pestlist] identification Dear all We just found these tiny little pest in our tea that is sold in the shop and served in the café at our museum. Both are situated in the museum with easy access to exhibitions. Can anybody help in identifying them, and are they a threat to the museum objects? They seem as if they live in the wooden containers that the tea arrive and are sold in, as seen in the picture. They are approx. 1mm long and brownish/grey in colour. Would really appreciate any help! Yours Sincerely Line Hallbjörnsson [cid:image001.png@01D08CA2.58041EC0] Line Hallbjørnsson – Preventive Conservator M/S Museet for Søfart – Ny Kronborgvej 1 - 3000 Helsingør Mobile: +45 26 12 06 87 Direct line: +45 49 28 02 13 l...@mfs.dk<mailto:h...@mfs.dk> www.mfs.dk<http://www.mfs.dk/> [cid:image002.jpg@01D08CA2.58041EC0]<http://mfs.dk/da/om-museet/presse/omtaler-og-priser> __________ Oplysninger fra ESET Endpoint Antivirus, virussignaturdatabaseversion 11613 (20150512) __________ Meddelelsen blev kontrolleret af ESET Endpoint Antivirus. www.esetscandinavia.com<http://www.esetscandinavia.com> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This email message has been delivered safely and archived online by Mimecast. For more information please visit http://www.mimecast.com -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
