I have found more than my fair share of long dead insects in books. Usually over time they will discolor the paper they are immediately in contact with so that there is a little bug image on the page. Also, they tend to be very flat. Depending on the situation, my guess, judging from its color, is that your little guy has probably been there for a few months. But that's a total guess.
Alan *Alan Van Dyke * Senior Preservation Technician Harry Ransom Center The University of Texas at Austin P.O. Drawer 7219 Austin, Texas 78713-7219 P: 512-232-4614 www.hrc.utexas.edu <http://hrc.utexas.edu> On Fri, Jun 25, 2021 at 11:17 AM 'Sampson, Amy' via MuseumPests < [email protected]> wrote: > Hi Tom - History is written by the victors, clearly J > > > > > > Hi Gretchen, > > > > I did wonder about colour – it would darken with age, presumably? I > haven’t seen the volume yet, but will look for evidence of damage. If it is > *Periplaneta > Americana,* this is not a species we have thus far seen inside the > building or on any of our pest traps. I will certainly be doing some > reading about habits and lifecycle this weekend, though! > > > > Thanks, > > > > Amy. > > > > > > *From:* 'Thomas Parker' via MuseumPests <[email protected]> > *Sent:* 25 June 2021 16:47 > *To:* [email protected] > *Subject:* Re: [PestList] RE: Historic bug? > > > > *EXTERNAL*: This email originates from outside of The National Archives. > > American cockroaches have populated sailing ships since before Columbus. > They’ve never been credited with discovering any new lands or territories. > 😊 > > Tom Parker > > > > On Jun 25, 2021, at 11:31 AM, Anderson, Gretchen < > [email protected]> wrote: > > > > This is a good question. The color is good, and it does not look like it > has been crushed by the book, so I suspect that the cockroach is relatively > recent. They like to crawl into tight spaces. When you find a specimen, > look at its color and how desiccated it is. The color may remain good if it > has not been exposed to light, however older specimens will be really dry > and fragile. Also, it is an adult. Look for damage typical to cockroach (or > whatever species you are looking at. Cockroaches will chew on paper and > other materials. They will also leave frass (droppings) behind. When you > find a suspected pest read up on the life cycle and habits. All of these > pieces of information will help you decide if it is recent or not. Also, > place some sticky traps out, and see if you have an active population. > > > Gretchen > > > > *From:* 'Sampson, Amy' via MuseumPests <[email protected]> > *Sent:* Friday, June 25, 2021 11:10 AM > *To:* [email protected] > *Subject:* [PestList] Historic bug? > > > > Hello Again Everyone, > > > > Thanks to Stephan Biebl and Forrest St. Aubin for your IDs. > > > > I am interested to find out whether anyone has experience of finding what > may be historic specimens within collection material. Has anyone come > across anything like this before? The volume that it was discovered in > dates from 1743, so I am unsure as to whether this is likely to be > contemporary to object, or whether it is more likely a recent guest. If > anyone has any thoughts on this, I would be very interested to hear them. > > > > Many Thanks, > > > > Amy. > > > > *Amy Sampson *|* Associate Preventive Conservator* > T: 020 3908 2435 | W: nationalarchives.gov.uk > <https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3a%2f%2fwww.nationalarchives.gov.uk%2f&c=E,1,1bq0JenQasVgI34YnxxsP3g6Fb1dsNU5dNK7Wupt3accyM9cbB1YBFB5eWkM4mG0LdJLyJwgnpRC-iBM4_F5cty1WfLfyLKqprxw9UaaAaoo0-Gj73lOeA,,&typo=1> > Twitter: @UkNatArchives > The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU > > > > > > Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to. > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > National Archives Disclaimer This email and any files transmitted with it > are intended solely for the use of the individual(s) to whom they are > addressed. If you are not the intended recipient and have received this > email in error, please notify the sender and delete the email. 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