The larvae, for which a dessicant would be aimed, are usually well hidden in the substrate materials where they are feeding. I seriously doubt if a dessicant would be of use.Tom Parker
-----Original Message----- From: 'Majors, Gennifer' via MuseumPests <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Fri, Sep 18, 2020 2:07 pm Subject: Re: [PestList] webbing clothes moth control and diatomaceous earth At the Textile Museum we've had some success using Cimexa instead of diatomaceous earth (although this was for silverfish). Cimexa is essentially lab-made diatomaceous earth, and so it doesn't contain the crystalline silica that poses a risk of silicosis, but it does function the same way and could pose the same risk of just being a general desiccating irritant. Gennifer MajorsAssociate ConservatorFoggy Bottom: 701 21st Street, NW • Washington, DC 20052Avenir Center: 44930 Knoll Square • Ashburn, VA 20147 [email protected] On Fri, Sep 18, 2020 at 11:11 AM Morris, Bernice <[email protected]> wrote: Hello everyone, I’m in the planning stages of a campaign against an entrenched and long-term webbing clothes moth infestation in several adjoining galleries. I’m strongly in favor of a deep clean followed by the application of large amounts of diatomaceous earth. Some DE would be applied to cracks and crevices around platforms and below cases, but I’d concentrate large amounts into interstitial spaces behind walls, and above the ceiling tiles on the drop ceiling. I think I have a safe plan for the DE that would go in the lower interstitial spaces, but I have concerns about its use near the ceiling air vents since DE can be a respiratory irritant. Has anyone dealt with this problem? Is there a way to protect or consolidate the DE so it does not enter the HVAC system? Is there a better solution for the areas near the air vents? I’d love to hear opinions from this always helpful group. Bernice Bernice Morris Associate Conservator of Costume and Textiles | t 215-684-7579 | | f 215-684-7550 | Philadelphia Museum of Art PO Box 7646, Philadelphia, PA 19101-7646 www.philamuseum.org -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/21572ca851b74e65b4126ca60b93a0d9%40philamuseum.org. -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/CAA9omnu5PD7p-TOb%2BdHdNUZmp7VvsWNq-01Tx15vD7LG-%3DysOg%40mail.gmail.com. -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/87046776.4015679.1600456807859%40mail.yahoo.com.
