Hello Samuel and everyone, I use lavender essential oil, which I apply around the windows and on small fabric sachets to keep moths away from my bedroom — a small space (about 20 m³) — and I’ve found it to be quite effective, provided that the application is refreshed regularly. As Stephan rightly pointed out, essential oils are certainly not suitable for managing an active infestation, but they do seem to have potential as a preventive measure, which I’d like to explore further. Thank you, Angelica, for sharing the studies on this topic. I am currently facing a similar challenge : I’m looking for preventive methods that are effective, environmentally friendly, and compatible with cultural heritage conservation. In my case, this concerns six altarpieces displayed in a church that has been affected by an Anobium punctatum infestation for over 40 years. The liturgical furniture has already suffered considerable damage. For more than 30 years, Arbezol Special (permethrin in solvents) has been systematically used in this church to impregnate the wooden furniture in an effort to control the insect population. I am now trying to persuade the stakeholders to discontinue the use of this product on cultural heritage objects due to its toxicity, irreversible deep penetration into the wood, potential chemical interactions and aging behavior, and the risk of mechanical and physical changes to the material. Fortunately, a significant budget has finally been allocated to restore the altarpieces, which are now being dismantled one by one for conservation-restoration (one per year). I was able to convince the project leaders to treat each altarpiece with anoxic disinfestation in my controlled-atmosphere treatment chambers (a service offered by my company, Artena). At the same time, I’ve implemented an IPM program in the church, which is already showing a decrease in the Anobium population. However, there is still a concern: the proximity between restored/treated and unrestored/untreated altarpieces, and the risk of reinfestation. The property owner is therefore looking to implement a reliable preventive solution. This brings me to the same questions raised earlier:
* Are there effective repellents or olfactory disruptors that interfere with insect recognition or mating behavior? * Is there a biological, ethical, ecological, reversible, and compatible impregnation product that could serve as a substitute for Arbezol? * Would a biological control approach (e.g., beneficial insects) make sense in a church environment, despite the previous long-term use of permethrin-based products? * Are there other options, methods, or approaches? A working session on this topic is scheduled soon, and I would like to contribute some concrete options. If you have any feedback, references, or suggestions, I would be very grateful if you could share them. Best regards, Florence [cid:4df154f9-0d94-45e2-8cf1-708ab028556e] Artena Heritage Preservation GmbH Zentweg 17b / CH – 3006 Bern +41 (0) 31 533 47 19 [email protected] artena.swiss<http://www.artena.swiss/> UID : CHE – 158.652.924 Florence Fleury Dipl. Konservatorin/Restauratorin FH SKR-Mitglied +41 (0) 79 764 26 61 [email protected] [cid:ed6b9b70-e936-43fb-b4ec-188d396b85ec] ________________________________ De : 'Lindgren, Sam' via MuseumPests <[email protected]> Envoyé : lundi 22 septembre 2025 18:38 À : [email protected] <[email protected]> Objet : [PestList] Essential Oils for IPM Hello, I am the facilities specialist responsible for the IPM at the Montana Historical Society including our collections areas. I am trying to find some alternative methods of discouraging pests getting into our collections, especially since some of the Native American Artifacts are sensitive and normal IPM methods are not allowed for cultural reasons. I have been doing some preliminary research on using essential oils such as lavender and cedar as a repellent, particularly to moths, and it looks like some people have had success with it. Has anybody here tried this, and if so what were the results? Samuel Lindgren Museum Facilities Specialist [Montana Historical Society Logo] 406-444-2694<tel:+14064442694> | mths.mt.gov<https://mths.mt.gov/> PO Box 201201, 225 North Roberts Street Helena, MT 59620-1201 -- 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 visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/PH8PR09MB976079B253179C802EDE20B68F12A%40PH8PR09MB9760.namprd09.prod.outlook.com<https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/PH8PR09MB976079B253179C802EDE20B68F12A%40PH8PR09MB9760.namprd09.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]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/GVAP278MB02301E728A7F67F63BCB68F4A51DA%40GVAP278MB0230.CHEP278.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM.
