Good Morning Rebecca, Heating or freezing are generally the accepted ways of sterilizing soil. Heating is faster. A question I have for you is about moisture content. Assuming these are bags of soil – there will be a significant amount of moisture. How will this affect the RH in your galleries? Is there any other way to practically desiccate the soil?
I suggest that you consider some kind of monitoring system adjacent to the work (glue boards, snaps, etc) . That amount of soil could be an attractant for mice as well. Good Luck. Gretchen [Senior Science Meeting Minutes_2017_0503] Gretchen Anderson Conservator (412) 665-2607 (Office) (412) 420-9083 (Mobile) [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Rebecca Merriman Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2019 9:32 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [pestlist] Organic materials in installation Hi all, Does anyone have any insights on prepping for an indoor art installation that incorporates organic materials (specifically top soil, powder red clay, and fresh plant matter?) We'd like to do our best to ensure that no insects come in with it or are attracted to it once installed. There will be about 1000 pounds of top soil used, purchased by the bag from Home Depot. I don't think freezing it would guarantee the elimination of insects; most suggestions online recommend heating the soil, but that's not practical considering the amount we're dealing with. We're checking with the manufacturer to see if they put it through any heat treatments prior to distribution, and we're also planning on sprinkling some borax or diatomaceous earth around the piece once it is installed. If anyone has dealt with a similar issue, we would appreciate any additional insights/suggestions/concerns you may have. Thank you! Best, Rebecca [cid:[email protected]] Rebecca Merriman | Registration Assistant | 704.337.2105 mintmuseum.org<http://mintmuseum.org/> Mint Museum Randolph | 2730 Randolph Road | Charlotte, North Carolina | 28207 Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts | 500 South Tryon Street | Charlotte, North Carolina | 28202 CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email, delete, and then destroy all copies of the original message. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Museumpests" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/pestlist. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/DM6PR06MB5977A16AB3B01A9C044050EAFA660%40DM6PR06MB5977.namprd06.prod.outlook.com<https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/DM6PR06MB5977A16AB3B01A9C044050EAFA660%40DM6PR06MB5977.namprd06.prod.outlook.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. The information contained in this message and/or attachments is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any system and destroy any copies. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Museumpests" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/pestlist. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/BN8PR02MB5940265C800199E646ABA085BC660%40BN8PR02MB5940.namprd02.prod.outlook.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
