Thank you Tony, Yes, I agree it is likely to be an old specimen and was the only one found, so that’s rather reassuring.
With thanks and best wishes, Helene Helene Delaunay | Conservator: Organic Materials Collection Care [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> (UK +44) 020 7323 8252 Please note: I work 3 days / week, Monday to Wednesday. Email status: OFFICIAL From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Tony Irwin Sent: 29 March 2022 18:41 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [PestList] Help with Kenyan insect i.d. please + question relating to webbing found on barkcloth CAUTION: This mail originated from OUTSIDE the British Museum network. Treat hyperlinks and attachments in this email with caution. If you have any doubts, please contact IS Support. Hi Helene A quick glance suggests this is a microgastrine braconid - a parasitic wasp. If you only have the one, regard it as an accidental visitor. If you keep finding them, they might be parasitizing a pest species in the collections, but might equally well be the result of a mass emergence outside the museum. However the lack of feet on the visible legs suggests that the specimen is maybe very dry and fragile - perhaps an rather old specimen that died some years ago. Best wishes Tony Dr A.G.Irwin 47 The Avenues Norwich Norfolk NR2 3PH England mobile: +44(0)7880707834 phone: +44(0)1603 453524 On Tue, 29 Mar 2022 at 18:07, 'Helene Delaunay' via MuseumPests <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Hello, I wonder if someone could help with the identification of this insect, found at the back of a painting on goat hide in a museum in Nairobi, Kenya. The three photos are of the same insect under different angles. Would anyone know whether it is an endemic pest, and what it feeds on, or just a non-pest insect? What puzzles me is that live flying insects of a similar size were spotted in one of the showcases of the museum in a nearby room. I tried to catch one of these but failed! (there was no insect trap) The showcase contains only inorganic materials, apart from a few unaffected amber beads. The insects have left webbing on the barkcloth lining the back of the showcase which is used as a background for the display. Debris were also spotted on a glass shelf (see photos 001 & 004). There is no obvious grazing on the barkcloth, but “loose webbing” is present behind a display label (photo 005). Is it possible that the insects are not feeding of the barkcloth, but just hatching on it? It seems weird that they would settle in a display case containing inorganic objects, when there are many other display cases nearby, with the same barkcloth background, containing objects made of organic / plant material. I’m trying to gage how likely it is that the infestation could spread to collection objects made of other plant materials and would be grateful if anyone could shed some light on this. Many thanks, Helene Helene Delaunay | Organics Conservator Conservation, Collection Care The British Museum, Great Russell Street London WC1B 3DG [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> | +44 (0) 20 7323 8252 Please note: I work 3 days / week, Monday to Wednesday. Email status: OFFICIAL -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/AM6PR02MB41822A9B2DC2F1659F820B2FA01E9%40AM6PR02MB4182.eurprd02.prod.outlook.com<https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/AM6PR02MB41822A9B2DC2F1659F820B2FA01E9%40AM6PR02MB4182.eurprd02.prod.outlook.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/CAFWqZKMT5dBnbkv5jPTWOU2VBYbvpme5%3DVAyCDxCOKPx8jB3DA%40mail.gmail.com<https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/CAFWqZKMT5dBnbkv5jPTWOU2VBYbvpme5%3DVAyCDxCOKPx8jB3DA%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. -- 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/DB7PR02MB4185F3F964E2162CC3331CC9A01F9%40DB7PR02MB4185.eurprd02.prod.outlook.com.
